Union clean-up hit as ailing corruption fighter quits
The resignation of the man tasked with cleaning up the scandal-plagued construction union may have been triggered by health problems, according to the government.
Senior lawyer Mark Irving KC was appointed in 2024 to fight allegations of corruption and cycling infiltration at the CFMEU but has now stepped aside, allowing a senior union official from NSW to take the reins.
Federal minister Jason Clare told reporters on Tuesday that Mr Irving had done a good job in very difficult circumstances.
“He’s had two heart attacks recently,” Mr Clare said.
Mr Irving was reportedly hospitalized between May and August 2025 due to chest pains.
He also received death threats after he began firing hundreds of union officials as part of efforts to root out corruption.
CFMEU NSW enforcement officer Michael Crosby will take over as administrator.
Mr Irving will still remain with the union as a senior adviser.
But the opposition said the resignation of the government’s hand-picked corruption fighter showed that the clean-up campaign had failed.
Workplace relations spokeswoman Jane Hume said in a statement that the coalition would seek to launch a parliamentary inquiry into corruption in the construction industry.
“Labour has promised to clean up the CFMEU,” he said.
“Instead, Australians have seen secrecy, controversy and now the resignation of the person appointed to fix the mess.”
The construction and general division of the CFMEU was handed over to administration in late 2024 after it was accused of corruption and links to organized crime.
Former CFMEU official and cyclist Joel Leavitt, one of four men charged in the alleged extortion plot, appeared in court in March.
Queensland also launched an investigation into the CFMEU, led by commissioner Stuart Wood KC.
Australian Builders’ Association chief executive Jon Davies praised Mr Irving’s work and acknowledged it carried a high level of personal and professional risk.
“Given the CFMEU’s history of coercive behavior and criminal infiltration into parts of the construction industry, this was not a role many would want to undertake,” he said in a statement.
“Although we have not always agreed on everything, our relationship with Mark has consistently been respectful, direct and constructive,” Mr Davies said.
Construction companies’ top body has called for wide-ranging reform in the sector, warning that lawlessness could re-emerge when the administration ends.
“We need stronger oversight, clearer accountability and consistent enforcement across the sector,” Mr Davies said.
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