Head of CFMEU’s massive training operation facing 21 fraud charges

The head of CFMEU Victoria’s massive training organisation has been charged by a police taskforce investigating allegations of crime and corruption in the building industry.

On Friday, Taskforce Hawk arrested Steven Deer, the manager of the union’s education and training unit at Port of Melbourne, over allegations he stole thousands of dollars from the unit.

CFMEU head of training Steven Deer.

It charged him with 21 offences involving allegedly fraudulent invoices dating as far back as June 2024 and continuing until May under the CFMEU administration that was installed last year.

In the last three months, detectives from Hawk have also charged organised crime-linked figures with a series of arson attacks on building firm bosses and an extortion attempt on a major construction firm. Deer’s charges are unrelated to those arrests.

The Australian Federal Police also recently confirmed it is investigating now-sacked union boss John Perkovic over allegations he was bribed by building companies. He has not responded publicly to the allegations.

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While the Perkovic matter has emerged as the most serious alleged corruption to be exposed by this masthead, and confronted by law enforcement agencies, Taskforce Hawk’s unrelated charging of Deer marks another significant milestone for police as they seek to crackdown on alleged corruption in the building sector.

On Friday, police executed a warrant on Deer’s home in Ferntree Gully and later charged him with seven counts each of making and using a false document and obtaining property by deception.

“Police will allege the man falsified a number of invoices dating back to June 2024, with the most recent alleged offending in May 2025,” a police statement said.

Last month the CFMEU administration summarily dismissed Deer from his role after standing him down in late September pending an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct that have been raised by multiple whistleblowers.

Deer, 62, has been the manager of the Port of Melbourne facility since 2022. He was contacted for comment about the criminal charges but did not respond. The CFMEU declined to comment on the charges.

Zach Smith.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

A CFMEU spokesman previously said that national secretary Zach Smith, who acts as executive director of the Victorian branch, was “made aware of allegations… [and] advised the administration, and has started the process to establish an investigation”.

Deer left CFMEU Victoria’s training arm in October following his suspension. Deer previously confirmed to The Australian Financial Review that he had been stood down pending an investigation.

However, when asked about claims of financial misconduct he said: “I’m not aware of the allegations.”

Operation Hawk was established in July last year, following the Building Bad investigation into the CFMEU by this masthead, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes, to specifically target criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry.

In its statement, police said the taskforce “continues to proactively target organised crime associated with the sector, including a focus on any individuals employed within the construction industry who have known links to outlaw motorcycle gangs”.

The CFMEU’s training facility at the Port of Melbourne is funded by millions of dollars in grants from the state government and Incolink, the union’s $1.3 billion redundancy fund. Employers have also donated some of the heavy equipment used to train trades workers.

A CFMEU spokesman said in September said that allegations about the training unit did not involve training grants.

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The charges follow controversy over the CFMEU spending $27 million of Incolink grants since 2022 to build a training and wellness centre at its branch headquarters that was recently valued at just $8 million.

The new centre was pitched as a way to double enrolments beyond the union’s Port of Melbourne facility, according to the business case by PricewaterhouseCoopers for Incolink.

The budget included $12 million to be spent on design and development, which was more than was originally set to be spent on building the centre. The final centre included a state-of-the-art gym, smart-glass solar windows and a rain garden.

Deer was bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrate’s Court on January 22.

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