CFMEU construction and general division administrator Michael Crosby has expelled former Victorian branch secretary John Setka for his alleged "shameful" misappropriation of union revenue and diversion of it to his own companies, but the former leader rejects the claims as "absolute bullshit and lies".
The Albanese Government should revisit the Fair Work Act's prohibition on multi-employer bargaining in the construction industry, because it is a major hurdle to tackling corruption and misconduct in the sector, the CFMEU's administrator said today, advocating for industry-wide rather than solely union-focused reform.
Victoria's Parliament has passed legislation to establish a special prosecutor to assist the Kourakis Royal Commission into misconduct in the construction industry and expand IBAC's powers, but a Bill targeting unregistered unions has stalled in the upper house with no sitting days remaining before the election.
Victoria's Kourakis royal commission into the construction sector has appointed an acting assistant commissioner and already held closed hearings in order to gather confidential information, it revealed at its first official hearing today.
FWC GM Murray Furlong has begun prosecuting former senior CFMEU construction division Victorian branch officials - primarily president Rob Graauwmans - for allegedly authorising payment of more than $300,000 of union funds to printing companies to benefit ex-HSU leader Diana Asmar as she campaigned for re-election.
Two silks with backgrounds in building and construction, criminal, administrative and public law are leading the legal team for Chris Kourakis' Royal Commission into crime and misconduct in the Victorian construction industry, ahead of its first hearing.
FWC President Adam Hatcher has refused to stay the deregistration of one auditor and suspension of another found to fallen short in their duties to an embattled HSU branch, concluding that no weight should be given to their "desire for reputational repair" while their appeals are heard.
After its CFMEU raid today, Victoria Police has revealed that its investigation relates to drug trafficking in addition to the "secret commissions" or "kickbacks", and has charged two of the five men it arrested.
Shadow IR minister Jane Hume has introduced a Bill that would enable the CFMEU's administrator to indefinitely expel members or disqualify union officers, and ensure they could not work for other unions.
A new analysis argues CFMEU corruption is a response to declining union power after the deregulation of IR and the shift to decentralised wage-setting.
