The Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland branch of the CFMEU is now underway, led by Stuart Wood AM KC with assistance from Bob Gee as secretary.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington says the Commission of Inquiry will shine a spotlight on the CFMEU’s alleged systemic misconduct and bullying.
Appointed as Commissioner by Governor in Council, Wood has practiced in the field of employment and labour law over the past 30 years. He has appeared in the High Court of Australia, Federal Court, and Supreme Courts in thousands of cases.
Wood was appointed King’s Counsel in 2014 and is a member of both the Queensland and Victorian Bars. In 2019, he was appointed to the Order of Australia for significant service to the legal profession, particularly in the area of industrial relations.
Gee is taking leave from his role as Director-General of the Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support following the Budget Estimates hearings to help oversee the inquiry, which is expected to last 12 months.
Gee previously served as Director-General of the Department of Youth Justice, Employment, Small Business and Training, Deputy Commissioner for the Queensland Police Service and State Disaster Coordinator.
The inquiry into the CFMEU was announced earlier this month just days after a scathing report – Violence in the Queensland CFMEU by Geoffrey Watson SC – lifted the lid on the underbelly of Queensland’s construction industry.
Watson says he fears the investigation only scratches the surface of the violence in the Queensland CFMEU.
“There are many other potential witnesses and many other stories which could have been told,” Watson says.
The Queensland Government’s Commission of Inquiry is seeking to lift the lid on the CFMEU’s alleged culture of systemic violence and intimidation with its broad terms of reference to spotlight potential criminality, organised crime links, and financial irregularities in the union.
It has the powers to compel documents and the attendance of witnesses but also deliver necessary protections for victims and whistleblowers.
The Commission of Inquiry comes a year after CFMEU Victoria was placed into administration following the trade union’s alleged use of underworld figures purportedly infiltrating various construction projects, as reported by this news service.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: CFMEU
