CFMEU report author to appear before landmark inquiry
The man who delivered a shocking CFMEU report will be at the center of a powerful investigation triggered by his damning investigation.
Lawyer and integrity advocate Geoffrey Watson will testify at the landmark CFMEU inquiry in Brisbane on Tuesday, four months after publishing his explosive report.
The Queensland government launched the investigation in July after a stunning report revealed allegations of thuggery at the state’s CFMEU branch.
Disturbing incidents highlighted in the report include a worker being chased with a grinder, safety inspectors being called “fucking dogs” and women and children being intimidated.
Mr Watson, a former lawyer assisting NSW’s Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, said his investigation may have only scratched the surface of the CFMEU’s “relentless” quest to gain political, industrial and financial power.
The report claimed the Queensland CFMEU was keen to crush anyone who opposed its aims, with some witnesses “stubbornly refusing” to give evidence.
The investigation has been investigating wider abuses in the construction industry and the state branch of the CFMEU since public hearings were officially launched in October.
Mr Watson will be the focus when it restarts on Tuesday, with CFMEU director Mark Irving KC set to take center stage on Thursday.
The CFMEU was put into nationwide administration in 2024 following allegations that the organization was infiltrated by cyclists and organized crime figures.
The leadership of the embattled union was sacked and placed under the control of the manager, Mr Irving KC.
Premier David Crisafulli had described the investigation as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to restore safety and productivity at worksites in Queensland as it prepares to roll out major infrastructure ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
“This is about the CFMEU, it’s about a decrepit, rotten, broken culture of bullying, intimidation, misogyny, deliberately lowering productivity, and we have to change that,” he told reporters.
The 12-month commission of inquiry is led by experienced industrial relations barrister Stuart Wood KC.
It will have the power to protect victims and whistleblowers, as well as to compel witnesses to provide evidence and documents to be submitted to the investigation.
