The CFMEU inquiry has revealed a complex web of alleged corruption and regulatory capture within the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ). The inquiry, led by Commissioner Stuart Wood, is examining the relationship between the CFMEU and WHSQ, particularly during the tenure of former Labor minister Grace Grace. The focus is on the targeting of firms that were "out of favour" with the union, and the alleged pressure on WHSQ inspectors to issue notices that were not valid.
One of the key figures in this saga is Deborah Dargan, the operations manager at WHSQ. Dargan testified that after the election of the Palaszczuk government in 2015, and again after Helen Burgess became construction compliance and field services director in 2018, the WHSQ's approach to CFMEU-related jobs changed. Complaints from the CFMEU were treated as higher priority, and prosecution for right-of-entry breaches dried up.
Dargan described a culture of pressure on inspectors to issue notices, even when there was no reasonable suspicion of a breach of law. She noted that CFMEU officials would walk away, make a phone call, and then the inspectors would receive a call from their manager, usually within 30 minutes, instructing them to issue the notice. This was primarily the doing of operations manager Mark Houston.
Dargan also testified that the CFMEU would target firms that lacked an enterprise bargaining agreement with the union and employed subcontractors that were not favored by the CFMEU. These firms would be visited with the specific purpose of finding them doing wrong, disrupting the work of the principal contractor, and eventually leading to their removal from the site.
The inquiry also heard from former inspector David Cappelletti, who expressed anxiety about giving evidence due to his severe anxiety levels. Cappelletti was one of the signatories of a submission to the corruption watchdog about his workplace and former minister Grace Grace in 2022. The inquiry is examining the broader implications of these revelations, including the development of Best Practice Industry Conditions policies, a memorandum of understanding between police and the Office of Industrial Relations, and the role of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.
The CFMEU inquiry has already uncovered instances of regulatory capture and institutional corruption, and the evidence presented by Dargan and Cappelletti suggests that the relationship between the CFMEU and WHSQ may have been more complex and problematic than previously thought. As the inquiry continues, it will be crucial to uncover the full extent of the alleged corruption and its impact on the construction industry in Queensland.
