Questions are being raised about the legality and viability of a proposal to ban the embattled construction union from a multi-billion-dollar highway project.
After Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed $7.2 billion to improve the safety of Queensland’s longest highway, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said a coalition government would match the pledge if the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) was barred from the project.
The CFMEU’s construction and general division was placed into administration in late 2024 after it was accused of corruption and links to organised crime.
Peter Dutton wants the CFMEU blocked from working on Queensland’s Bruce Highway project. (Russell Freeman/AAP PHOTOS)
Mr Dutton has been a staunch critic of the union, calling for stronger action against members as Labor passed laws to force its takeover.
In his latest comments, he told The Courier-Mail that blocking the CFMEU from the Bruce Highway project would boost efficiency by at least 30 per cent.
However, Griffith University law professor John Flood has raised concerns about the legality and viability of Mr Dutton’s plans.
“It is crude, probably illegal and highly unethical,” he told AAP.
To have the union banned from future work, Mr Dutton would probably have to get it proscribed and establish transitional arrangements for its members, Professor Flood said.
The quickest way to complete the Bruce Highway’s upgrades was for all stakeholders to work together, CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith said, but Mr Dutton’s idea would exclude workers from employment on the basis of union membership.
The federal government has committed $7.2 billion to improve Queensland’s Bruce Highway. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)
“Dutton appears to be willing to corrupt the tender process to make sure non-union contractors are awarded the job,” he said.
“This kind of tough talk by Dutton is typical of an ex-property developer who thinks the only way to build is by screwing over construction workers.”
Civil construction work also largely sits within the coverage of the Australian Workers’ Union, not the CFMEU, which means its members barely work on highway projects.
If there were a handful of CFMEU members on a particularly large project, it was unclear whether banning them would improve the efficiency of the upgrades.
Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt said Mr Dutton was “recklessly” playing politics.
The CFMEU’s Zach Smith says Peter Dutton “appears to be willing to corrupt the tender process”. (Dominic Giannini/AAP PHOTOS)
“Peter Dutton is more interested in attacking unions than fixing the Bruce and keeping Queenslanders safe,” he said.
Queensland’s LNP Premier David Crisafulli welcomed the federal coalition’s proposal.
“There’s no seat at the table for the CFMEU because their business model is designed to create chaos, carnage and drive down productivity,” he told reporters on the Gold Coast on Thursday.
“What the new Queensland government wants to see is workers who are well paid, workers who are safe, productivity to return and contracts to be adhered to.”
Mr Dutton’s office has been contacted for comment.
Investigations into the CFMEU are ongoing and laws used by the government to place the union into administration are being challenged in the High Court.