1. In July 2024,I was engaged1 to investigate allegations of criminal and corrupt conduct made against the Victorian and Tasmanian Branch of the CFMEU’s Construction and General Division.2 The allegations which were the subject of my investigation were published in The Australian Financial Review, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald as part of a joint series of reports known as ‘Building Bad’. Those allegations were also aired in an episode of 60 Minutes. Reflecting the initial letter of engagement, the matters dealt with in this report are narrow in compass. There may be a range of other matters warranting further investigation that fall outside the limited scope of the letter..
2. While my investigation is incomplete, my work so far enables me to make some preliminary observations with a reasonable degree of confidence. In broadest summary, the information I uncovered supported the accuracy of the allegations of criminal and corrupt conduct raised in the ‘Building Bad’ series. As detailed in this report, I make a series of recommendations for further investigation and other steps to be taken by the Administrator. He has legal powers that I did not possess, enabling him to continue with the investigations noted below.