The federal government has asked the Fair Work Ombudsman to review workplace agreements made by the Victorian CFMEU on state infrastructure projects.
“I have requested the Fair Work Ombudsman undertake a targeted review of all enterprise agreements made by the Victorian branch of the construction division of the CFMEU that apply to Victorian ‘Big Build’ projects,” Workplace Minister Burke said in a statement.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan earlier said it was up to Victoria Police to determine if organised crime figures were currently working on the state’s taxpayer-funded Big Build sites.
Addressing the media for the third day in a row, Allan said the state’s response would be “locked in and supporting” the federal government’s efforts to address allegations of serious misconduct by the CFMEU and links to organised crime.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.Credit: AAP
But when asked whether members of outlaw motorcycle gangs were currently working on government sites, the premier said it was not a question for her.
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“That would be a question for Victoria Police, who hold the responsibilities to investigate any allegations of criminal behaviour in any workplace,” she said.
Allan said CFMEU Victoria assistant secretary Derek Christopher, who is in line to succeed John Setka as head of the branch, “clearly” did not live up to her standards of good leadership.
On Monday, a major investigation by this masthead, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes revealed Christopher had received an estimated $200,000 in free labour and supplies from major building companies in 2017 and remained the subject of an ongoing police corruption probe.
“I’ve got to be careful because I know there’s a Victoria Police investigation into that individual and the allegations that have been made,” Allan said.