A story in The Age raises concerns over alleged corruption in Queensland’s construction industry:
Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie has called on the federal government to investigate “mounting allegations of corruption and collusion with criminal gangs”. Mr Bleijie said the revelations of the joint investigation between Fairfax Media and the ABC into corrupt deals between Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union officials and building companies linked to organised crime and bikie gangs needed to be further examined. He called on the Commonwealth to expand its planned inquiry into union conduct to “also investigate mounting allegations of corruption and collusion with criminal gangs” and said he didn’t believe Queensland was “immune”. “We have heard reports of extortion, blackmail and bribery occurring on Queensland construction worksites, but the victims have been too afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals,” he said in a statement.
