Safety note: Admin approval is an initial review, not a guarantee that every detail is correct. Check important or urgent claims with official sources and report anything inaccurate or unsafe.
Police have raided the CFMEU's Bowen Hills headquarters as part of a Queensland-Victoria investigation into alleged corrupting benefits linked to union officials and a labour-hire company.
Police have raided the Queensland headquarters of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in Brisbane as part of a cross-border investigation into alleged corrupting benefits involving union officials and a Victorian-based labour-hire company. The operation took place on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, with detectives executing a search warrant at the CFMEU's offices in Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner north.
The Brisbane raid formed part of a coordinated operation involving Queensland and Victorian authorities. Queensland Police detectives seconded to the Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU and Misconduct in the Construction Industry worked alongside investigators from Victoria Police Taskforce Hawk. Warrants were also executed at residential properties in Pimpama and Bahrs Scrub in Queensland, as well as properties and commercial premises in Victoria. Investigators seized electronic devices and paperwork during the searches for further examination.
Authorities are investigating allegations that individuals connected to a Victorian labour-hire company provided corrupting benefits to current Queensland CFMEU officials in an attempt to influence the officials' performance of their duties. Investigators are examining whether the alleged arrangements were connected to enterprise bargaining agreements and potential access to construction work associated with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The allegations remain the subject of an ongoing investigation and have not been proven in court.
Three people were arrested in Victoria during the operation. Victoria Police said a 46-year-old Mount Eliza man, a 47-year-old Mount Eliza woman who is a director of a labour-hire company, and a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale man were arrested and interviewed. The two men were subsequently charged with unrelated matters arising from separate investigations and released, while the woman remained in custody as the investigation continued.
The investigation began in July 2026 and remains ongoing. Police are preparing evidence for consideration of potential offences under the Fair Work Act. Authorities have indicated that further investigative work may take place as Queensland and Victorian agencies continue to examine the alleged conduct and its potential links to the construction industry.
The CFMEU said it had been made aware of the police investigation and would cooperate fully with authorities. The Queensland Commission of Inquiry said its role includes examining alleged misconduct in Queensland's construction industry and relationships between unions, employers, contractors and other industry participants. Where information obtained during the inquiry indicates possible criminal conduct, the commission can work with law-enforcement agencies.
The raids come as Queensland's CFMEU Commission of Inquiry continues its broader investigation into alleged misconduct within the construction industry. The inquiry has been extended until December 2027, with further public hearings scheduled for October and later in 2026.
Authorities have stressed that there is currently no suggestion that contractors involved in Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games projects have engaged in wrongdoing. The investigation is continuing, and any allegations against individuals or organisations will need to be tested through the appropriate legal processes.
QueenslandInvestigationCfmeuAllegedBrisbane
Police have raided the Queensland headquarters of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in Brisbane as part of a cross-border investigation into alleged corrupting benefits involving union officials and a Victorian-based labour-hire company. The operation took place on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, with detectives executing a search warrant at the CFMEU's offices in Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner north.
The Brisbane raid formed part of a coordinated operation involving Queensland and Victorian authorities. Queensland Police detectives seconded to the Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU and Misconduct in the Construction Industry worked alongside investigators from Victoria Police Taskforce Hawk. Warrants were also executed at residential properties in Pimpama and Bahrs Scrub in Queensland, as well as properties and commercial premises in Victoria. Investigators seized electronic devices and paperwork during the searches for further examination.
Authorities are investigating allegations that individuals connected to a Victorian labour-hire company provided corrupting benefits to current Queensland CFMEU officials in an attempt to influence the officials' performance of their duties. Investigators are examining whether the alleged arrangements were connected to enterprise bargaining agreements and potential access to construction work associated with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The allegations remain the subject of an ongoing investigation and have not been proven in court.
Three people were arrested in Victoria during the operation. Victoria Police said a 46-year-old Mount Eliza man, a 47-year-old Mount Eliza woman who is a director of a labour-hire company, and a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale man were arrested and interviewed. The two men were subsequently charged with unrelated matters arising from separate investigations and released, while the woman remained in custody as the investigation continued.
The investigation began in July 2026 and remains ongoing. Police are preparing evidence for consideration of potential offences under the Fair Work Act. Authorities have indicated that further investigative work may take place as Queensland and Victorian agencies continue to examine the alleged conduct and its potential links to the construction industry.
The CFMEU said it had been made aware of the police investigation and would cooperate fully with authorities. The Queensland Commission of Inquiry said its role includes examining alleged misconduct in Queensland's construction industry and relationships between unions, employers, contractors and other industry participants. Where information obtained during the inquiry indicates possible criminal conduct, the commission can work with law-enforcement agencies.
The raids come as Queensland's CFMEU Commission of Inquiry continues its broader investigation into alleged misconduct within the construction industry. The inquiry has been extended until December 2027, with further public hearings scheduled for October and later in 2026.
Authorities have stressed that there is currently no suggestion that contractors involved in Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games projects have engaged in wrongdoing. The investigation is continuing, and any allegations against individuals or organisations will need to be tested through the appropriate legal processes.
A psychiatric report presented to South Australia's Supreme Court has raised questions about Tamika Chesser's mental competence in the case involving th...
Eight people have died in separate road crashes across Victoria during the Melbourne Cup long weekend, with four of the fatal incidents involving motorc...
New South Wales has begun accepting firearms under the national gun buyback scheme, but limited appointment availability has created an early challenge...
A freedom of information request has revealed that Gold Coast Council does not hold a copy of the invoice for Mayor Tom Tate's three-day stay at Donald...
Eight people have died in separate road crashes across Victoria during the Melbourne Cup long weekend, with four of the fatal incidents involving motorc...
Police are investigating after a one-year-old child died following a house fire in Collie, while several other people inside the property escaped safely.
A psychiatric report presented to South Australia's Supreme Court has raised questions about Tamika Chesser's mental competence in the case involving th...
A freedom of information request has revealed that Gold Coast Council does not hold a copy of the invoice for Mayor Tom Tate's three-day stay at Donald...
