The Albanese government’s CFMEU reform chief abruptly abandoned two anti-corruption teams hired to uncover graft in the union, leaving serious misconduct allegations untouched for months as suspected crooked officials took key roles within the embattled union.
Three confidential sources who worked for CFMEU administrator Mark Irving KC also confirmed he failed to enact advice to seek more powers from the federal government to deal with wrongdoing, with one source saying Irving was concerned doing so could risk reviving calls for the coalition’s Australian Building and Construction Commission.
This masthead can also reveal that in addition to shuttering two corruption-busting teams — one headed by ex-federal police assistant commissioner Chris Craner and the second led by specialist anti-corruption investigators — the lawyer hired to run Irving’s anti-corruption probe quit just weeks into his appointment because of concerns the administration didn’t have adequate whistleblowing and investigative capacity.
Irving has dismissed criticism of his administration’s anti-corruption strategy, declining an interview but saying in a statement to this masthead he was “confident that we have the right resources to do our task”.
