CFMEU ‘threatened’ rival union boss amid bitter feud
A rival union boss felt his life was threatened after hearing a disturbing message from hooded CFMEU members, an investigation has heard.
The Australian Workers Union’s Stacey Schinnerl became emotional as she described how an escalating dispute with the CFMEU had become “sinister” and led to fears for her family’s safety.
The AWU Queensland secretary said on Wednesday he was conducting an investigation into abuses in the state’s construction industry over a series of alleged incidents.
In July 2023, amid a row over major projects, Ms Schinnerl claimed mask-wearing CFMEU members prevented an AWU delegate from entering the tunnel works site on Brisbane’s $19 billion Cross River Rail.
“CFMEU members personally conveyed a message to me: ‘If I raise my head, it will break,'” he said.
“I took it as a threat to my life.”
Asked if the message had made her fearful for her family’s safety, Ms. Schinnerl wiped away tears and said: “Absolutely.”
The inquest heard that an AWU organizer in a vehicle had previously been surrounded by CFMEU members at the gate of the tunnel construction site.
“He was shown a gun, his tires were slashed. He was told not to get out of the vehicle,” Ms. Schinnerl said.
The CFMEU physically prevented other AWU staff from visiting Cross River Rail work sites and stalked and threatened Ms Schinnerl, investigation commissioner Stuart Wood heard.
“These appear to be very serious allegations of serious threats,” Mr Wood said.
After construction first began on the rail project, the AWU abandoned meetings on site at the request of workers who wanted to avoid CFMEU harassment after being subjected to threats, abuse and harassment.
The inquest heard masked CFMEU members stormed entry points to prevent access and lobbed threats at workers and union officials.
Footage was played of two men wearing CFMEU shirts placing “Australia’s Weakest Union” stickers on an AWU vehicle in a secure car park in early 2023.
Ms. Schinnerl said it was childish, but she believed it carried a worse message: “We know where you are, we’re coming for you.”
It comes after the Queensland Council of Trade Unions’ Jacqueline King told the inquiry on Tuesday that she and Ms Schinnerl went “to the top” of Queensland Police in July 2024 following ongoing harassment.
They arranged a meeting with Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski and his deputy, Cheryl Scanlon, to share allegations about the CFMEU’s behavior but “did not hear back”.
Tensions between the CFMEU and the AWU escalated during the Cross River Rail talks and erupted when Ms Schinnerl was promoted to foreign minister in 2022.
Mr. Schinnerl, the first woman in the union’s history to hold this post, believed the CFMEU saw her as a target.
“Maybe (they thought) a female leader could easily be overthrown with enough pressure.”
The Cross River Rail area was a key battleground where the CFMEU fought for greater access to the “tunneling” coverage that the AWU had a monopoly on.
The rift deepened further after Ms Schinnerl gave a speech at the 2022 state Labor Party conference referencing the CFMEU, which angered union boss Michael Ravbar.
“Multiple sources have told me that Mr. Ravbar described that moment, with the comment I made, as me starting a war with the CFMEU,” Ms. Schinnerl said.
“The following week, he called the entire staff … (and) discussed plans to dismantle the AWU.”
The Queensland government launched the investigation in July after a report by lawyer Geoffrey Watson revealed allegations of thuggery at the state’s CFMEU branch.
The CFMEU was put into nationwide administration in 2024 following allegations that the organization was infiltrated by cyclists and organized crime figures.
The union’s leadership was removed and placed under the control of a manager.
