Cyclists targeted by CFMEU clean-up operation by administrator

CFMEU leaders will target cyclists and criminals who use threats, intimidation and violence to exert their power in the construction sector.

Union chief executive Mark Irving has vowed to clean up the union after receiving a damning report into the Victorian branch of the CFMEU’s construction arm.

The report, by Geoffrey Watson SC, found the department was so rife with violence and intimidation that a series of abusive threats captured on video were considered “not exceptional”.

Mr Watson was hired by Zach Smith, national secretary of the CFMEU, to conduct an independent investigation into allegations that the Building and General Department was involved in criminal and corrupt conduct, as previously exposed by Nine Newspapers in 2024.

Mr Irving accepted all the report’s recommendations on Tuesday, noting that the issues raised were of an “extremely serious and worrying nature”.

“Mr Watson’s report has shed light on a cycle of lawlessness where violence was an acceptable part of the culture that exists across the construction industry in Victoria, and that the CFMEU had lost control in this cycle of intimidation and violence,” he said.

In response, he promised to establish an integrity unit in Victoria to investigate the growing number of allegations and to scrutinise relationships between suppliers and former senior union officials.

Employment agencies are also being scrutinised to determine the extent to which organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs have infiltrated their ranks, the impact on company contracts and any illegal payments to union officials.

While the findings of Mr Watson’s report are limited to Victoria, Mr Irving has pledged to expand his research to other jurisdictions.

“I am not limited by any of these restrictions,” he said.

A comprehensive investigation will be launched into the extent of involvement of criminal motorcycle gangs and organised crime groups in the construction industry in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.

In Queensland, Irving will investigate whether union officials breached conflicts of interest by accepting illegal bribes and undisclosed benefits, as well as transferring money to and from the union, including the use of charitable funds.

The actions of former CFMEU NSW secretary Darren Greenfield and his son Michael, a former assistant secretary of a state department, are being investigated in NSW over alleged illegal payments.

The Greenfields both deny accepting bribes from a construction company since 2018 in exchange for preferential treatment from the union and access to contracts.

In addition to the investigations in the other states, Mr Irving will also investigate sexual harassment of female MPs in the South Australian division.

According to the administrator, any abuses that come to light during these investigations could lead to civil lawsuits.

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