Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

The whole purpose of appointing an administrator to the CFMEU was to get the administrator to clean up the corruption at the CFMEU. That was the purpose, because that corruption in the CFMEU construction division is costing Australians millions and millions of dollars. In my home state of Queensland, the unlawful actions of the CFMEU have led to infrastructure cost blowouts of nearly every single major road, hospital, government building, school, university building—every single one of them had a blowout in the order of 30 per cent. That's the taxpayers' money. That's money which could have been spent on building additional roads, additional hospitals, additional schools, but, because of CFMEU corruption and because of the CFMEU's unlawful behaviour, the taxpayers haven't had the benefit of that additional spending.

The whole purpose of the administration was to fix the corruption in the CFMEU, but the administration is failing. It is failing to clean up the CFMEU. It is failing to weed out the bad actors. It is failing to do what it was appointed to do. And now it is losing the confidence of the Australian people, and action is required. Why? Because of articles like this in the Age from 25 October 2025 entitled, 'A house, a hot rod and a bashing: CFMEU sackings heap pressure on Albanese'. That's the title. This is happening after the administrator was appointed, not before. This is happening after. Let me quote from this article:

One was shown the door for taking "bribes", the other told to leave over an assault. Both contribute to a crisis engulfing the troubled union's administration.

Federal police are investigating allegations building companies paid massive bribes, including financing a $2.5 million property development and a $150,000 luxury vehicle, to a union boss—

listen to this very carefully—

recently promoted to help lead the Albanese government-backed clean-up of the scandal-tainted CFMEU.

This bloke referred to in this article was actually promoted by the administrator in the CFMEU. The administrator is meant to clean up the corruption in the CFMEU.

I go on:

The rolling CFMEU scandal has also infected NSW, with a second official there abruptly sacked days ago after this masthead—

and the Age newspaper is doing a great job in this regard—

confronted the union's administration with evidence he had engaged in a violent act in the company of a former Hells Angels bikie gang boss in late 2024.

So we've got the fellow in Victoria who got promoted by the administrator and then had to be sacked after the media uncovered this corruption scandal, and then we have the official acting within the administration in New South Wales who had to be sacked after the newspaper presented evidence to the administrator with respect to his 'violent act in the company of a former Hells Angels bikie gang boss'. This is exactly the sort of behaviour that was occurring before the administrator was appointed. So the administration is failing.

The article goes on:

Six serving and former union insiders told this masthead on Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, that a small number of other organisers still employed by the administration were strongly suspected of improperly lobbying on behalf of select labour hire companies, including those run by their relatives and close friends, in return for benefits.

That's money. Six serving and former union insiders, whistleblowers, went to the Age newspaper to try and get the administrator to do the job the administrator should be doing—namely, clean up the CFMEU. This administrator is failing to do their job. It is a matter of public urgency that a committee of this Senate, with all the powers of this Senate, looks into this disgraceful episode in the history of the CFMEU construction division.