Thursday, 1 August 2024

Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union

Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:46): The allegations that currently engulf the CFMEU – and by extension therefore the government, the Premier and every other minister and every other member of this government – are of the utmost seriousness. So it was with some interest that I read a research report from IBAC dated 27 February 2023. The report summary on their website says:

IBAC’s research has identified several corruption risks that could affect major infrastructure projects in Victoria during procurement and construction.

It is with grave disappointment then that I note my colleague Mr Davis received a letter a year later. He lodged a complaint with IBAC in respect of the CFMEU activities back on 27 April 2023. Well, they wrote back to Mr Davis on 22 June 2024. What a disgrace. These are the people charged with holding those who commit corrupt offences to account, and they are taking a year to reply to a member of Parliament, much less investigate – forget that. This is what they said:

In relation to the allegation about the activities of the CFMEU, this allegation did not have sufficient basis to meet the IBAC threshold to engage our suspected corrupt conduct jurisdiction.

What nonsense – their own report said a year earlier that there was. Yet here we have the very body that this Parliament in good faith created to prevent and investigate corruption doing precisely nothing.