A billionaire Chinese property developer gave $10,000 to the then secretary of the NSW ALP in 2015 to fund a union election campaign, the Independent Commission Against Corruption has been told.
Victorian State Labor MP and former AWU leader Cesar Melhem has agreed to admit eight civil breaches of the law covering union memberships, avoiding a scheduled 12-day trial due to begin tomorrow in the Federal Court.
The AWU has made a formal agreement with the Registered Organisation Commission over its civil prosecution alleging breaches of the law that regulates union membership matters.
The CFMMEU's code of conduct requiring officers to "publicly defend" colleagues, refrain from casting aspersions and deal with all concerns internally forms the basis of the union's defence in a court case involving two former organisers who claim they were ousted for whistleblowing in a media interview.
The Registered Organisations Commission believes that whistleblower disclosures will increasingly underpin its work from next year as it steps up efforts to encourage unions and employer bodies to establish "speak up" cultures.
Sacked NUW NSW official Nick Belan has today continued his challenge to the FWC's ability to rely on evidence given to royal commissions, urging a full Federal Court to treat the tribunal like a court and find that it should not have been able to uphold his sacking on the basis of admissions made in 2015.
Former NUW NSW branch secretary Derrick Belan has been sentenced to four years' jail on 60 charges that involved more than $650,000 of union funds, including personal spending on a tattoo, Botox treatments, holidays and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The Registered Organisations Commission has launched a formal investigation into credit card use and loans possibly paid by the CFMEU mining and energy division's Queensland district to its officials.
