Hadgkiss Blasts CFMEU Misconduct, Calls for Stricter Rules

0:00It's April 14. From your city to your ears, this is Sidney News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Former ABCC boss Nigel Hatchkiss dropped some heavy testimony at the Queensland inquiry into CFMU misconduct. He laid out how the Union broke industrial laws 25 times over the past 14 years. That led to $4.57 million in fines for the CFMU and $1.48 million for individuals involved. He pointed to a prime example from 2023 when top union officials crashed cross-river rail sites for an unauthorized barbecue. They skipped safety inductions, ignored orders to leave, and disrupted work, costing the Union $204,000 plus personal fines up to $12,000 each. Hatchkiss pushed hard for a strict code of conduct on government projects to fix right-of-entry abuses. These breaches created real safety risks and halted productivity with unions barging

1:01in without permits. He also called out flags and logos on sites as signs of intimidation, pressuring non-members and even sparking harassment when bosses tried to remove them. Back when the ABCC enforced rules, fewer work days got lost to disputes. Hatchkiss, who helped build industry codes nationwide, stressed that active regulators boost safety, productivity, and worker choice. He noted employers' cave to union demands without enforcement, just to keep peace. His own exit from the ABCC in 2017 came after he admitted a right-of-entry slip-up. The inquiry keeps rolling, with Hatchkiss facing cross-examination from CFMU lawyers soon. This could shape tougher rules to clean up Queensland's building scene for good.