3 months ago
21
The news
A prominent conservative Melbourne barrister with Liberal Party links has been announced as the head of Queensland’s inquiry into the CFMEU.
Stuart Wood AM, KC, will lead the commission of inquiry, with Youth Justice Department director-general and former deputy police commissioner Bob Gee to take leave and fill the role of secretary.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, who on Wednesday conceded an “obsession” with the CFMEU, said in a joint statement the pair would bring a wealth of experience to their work, which was set to begin today.
Stuart Wood AM, KC – seated at the left of Israel Folau – with the rest of the footballer’s legal team in 2019. Credit: Paul Jeffers
Why it matters
The powerful probe, expected to take 12 months, will use its broad powers to protect – and compel – witnesses and evidence while investigating violence and misconduct in the union.
It will also have the power to unpack underworld links and what have been described by Bleijie as “enablers” in the former Labor government, along with recommending prosecutions and changes to criminal laws.
This follows a series of reports by this masthead outlining allegations of corruption and criminal links in the union’s Victorian and NSW branches, which led to the CFMEU being placed under administration by the federal Labor government.
What they said
“Queenslanders want change, and we are delivering that change after 10 years of inaction by the former Labor government, which facilitated a protection racket for the CFMEU, in turn silencing victims and whistleblowers,” Bleijie claimed.
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“The commission of inquiry will investigate this militant union’s standover tactics and deliver the culture change needed to restore safety and productivity to construction sites.
“The inquiry will ensure the rule of law is returned to the construction industry.
“Queenslanders can have faith that construction industry safety and culture change will be at the forefront of our plan to build the pipeline of infrastructure needed to build more homes, heal the health crisis, upgrade important road and rail links, and deliver the best 2032 Games ever.”
Wood said: “This inquiry represents a significant responsibility, and I am committed to conducting it with the thoroughness and rigour the people of Queensland deserve.”
What you need to know
Wood has worked in industrial law for three decades, and acted for high-profile clients such as footballer Israel Folau in his wrongful dismissal case over an anti-gay Instagram post, and for Coles in its defence of landmark underpayment allegations.
He was appointed to the Order of Australia in 2019 for service to the legal profession’s industrial relations area, and he’s been secretary of the conservative Liberal-aligned Samuel Griffith Society legal organisation for a decade.
Wood was reported in 2020 to have been a member of the Liberal Party, but a Victorian Liberal source said he has since left.
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