A recent inquiry into the Queensland branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) revealed alarming claims about the union’s actions against workplace inspectors. David Cappelletti, a principal inspector from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), testified that the union had maintained a “hit list” aimed at targeting inspectors they wished to eliminate from their roles.<\/p>\n
According to Cappelletti, the ability of inspectors to perform their duties independently diminished significantly following Annastacia Palaszczuk’s assumption of office in 2015. He stated, “We were micromanaged to a point where we couldn’t make our own decisions,” highlighting the challenges inspectors faced in executing their responsibilities effectively.<\/p>\n
The inquiry, which will reconvene on Thursday, is set to hear from Peter McKay, the former deputy director-general of the Office of Industrial Relations. The focus of the investigation includes what has been described as the “regulatory capture” of WHSQ by the CFMEU, previously labeled as a form of institutional corruption. Testimonies indicated that the influence of the union was so pervasive that inspectors once issued an unsafe work order against themselves to avoid entering sites where a union official was present.<\/p>\n
Cappelletti further elaborated on how inspectors were compelled to comply with CFMEU demands, often responding to requests that he deemed unlawful. He explained, “We tried to follow legislation, but we were pushed into scenarios where we were lurched away from the legislation to give the union favorable outcomes.” He noted that this pressure intensified under the supervision of Helen Burgess, who was the director of construction, compliance, and field services until her departure in late 2023.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that failure to produce favorable results for the union could lead to repercussions, stating, “You were singled out if you didn’t do what Helen Burgess said to do.” Furthermore, Cappelletti mentioned a memorandum of understanding between Queensland Police and Burgess that allegedly resulted in police not attending sites where the CFMEU was present, as they were informed that the union’s presence was legal.<\/p>\n
Approximately two years into Burgess’s tenure in 2018, Cappelletti became aware of a targeted “hit list” that included his name. He suggested that the CFMEU, utilizing Burgess, aimed to eliminate inspectors who frequently resisted union demands regarding legal compliance on construction sites.<\/p>\n
Sarina Wise, who recently took on the role of executive director for compliance and building services at WHSQ, reported similar concerns about the impartiality of the regulator. She asserted that the CFMEU had begun to influence decisions, with union representatives escalating concerns directly to Peter McKay, the then deputy director-general, rather than resolving issues through established channels.<\/p>\n
Wise expressed her discomfort with this shift, noting that it placed an undue burden on McKay’s responsibilities. She attempted to redirect CFMEU officials to contact her instead, but was met with resistance, as they preferred to escalate matters to higher authorities.<\/p>\n
In a particularly troubling revelation, Wise shared that shortly before her appointment, inspectors in her division had issued unsafe work orders against their own workplace to prevent confrontation with a CFMEU official who had been filming them at construction sites. She described the negative attention these inspectors received on social media, where derogatory comments about them were prevalent.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Wise was informed by colleagues of a previous investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission, which suggested a personal relationship between Burgess and a CFMEU delegate, further complicating the integrity of the regulatory oversight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A recent inquiry into the Queensland branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) revealed alarming claims about the union’s actions against workplace inspectors. David Cappelletti, a principal inspector from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), testified that the union had maintained a “hit list” aimed at targeting inspectors they wished to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43,909],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-au-unions"],"yoast_head":"\n