CFMEU inquiry: Corruption fighter Geoffrey Watson gives evidence on report into union’s Victorian branch

Watson was asked by counsel assisting, Mark Costello KC, whether the situation he had been giving evidence about in Victoria today could be repeated in other states.

“Of course it is [possible],” Watson responded, while noting after a prompt by Costello that this would largely be based on who was in control of the union.

“All of those things are here, or will come here to Queensland. Whether it’s ad hoc corruption or bribery,” he said.

The corruption-buster said that while he held Queensland CFMEU executive officer Jared Abbott and the work he was doing in high regard, the element of Watson’s own Victorian report about the appointment of delegates worried him.

While not examined in the inquiry today, but expected to be tomorrow, Watson’s report describes the hiring of “unwanted and unnecessary” delegates as central to understanding the “flagrant misuse of power by the former CFMEU leadership”.

After a question from Commissioner Stuart Wood prompted a brief aside into other elements to be addressed further tomorrow surrounding the hiring of young women into lucrative traffic management jobs “for the worst possible reason”, the inquiry was adjourned.

We’ll be back from 10am Brisbane time tomorrow.

Watson says criminal behaviour in the Queensland CFMEU wasn’t “anything like as bad” as in Victoria.

“The CFMEU under John Setka – the Victorian CFMEU – [was] a crime organisation,” he tells the inquiry.

“I do not see Queensland being anything like as bad … Victoria was completely out of control.”

Watson earlier testified that elements of the union’s Queensland branch had tried to mimic the actions of their Victorian colleagues to increase influence.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Mark Costello KC, is now taking anti-corruption expert Geoffrey Watson SC through elements of his report dealing with the “corruption” of the Victorian enterprise bargaining scheme through the sale and purchase of the agreements.

“If you can get one of these things, you can make a fortune,” Watson tells the inquiry of the agreements, sometimes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To get these, you had to go to a broker such as Mick Gatto, Faruk Orman, or Harry Korras, “or you go to a member of the [CFMEU] executive and they do it for you”.

Watson describes hearing of instances where some agreements came with requirements that workers quit their Australian Workers’ Union membership and join the CFMEU instead, which Watson described as illegal.

He said he was unsure how prevalent such instances were as he “couldn’t get to the bottom of the records” and it would require someone voluntarily admitting to him they had corruptly paid or received money.

The High Court appeal lodged by former Queensland union leader Michael Ravbar was “very destructive” to administrators, the inquiry heard.

Geoffrey Watson says good workers were spooked, knowing that if it was successful, they could find themselves in the leadership’s crosshairs.

“A lot of people who were decent people, who were capable of coming around and working honestly, also knew if the decision went in favour of Mr Ravbar ... they’d be seen to be on the wrong side,” Watson said.

“They were just not wanting to be seen as co-operative. So that really hung over the administration.“

Ravbar’s appeal was rejected in June 2025.

The public gallery has thinned out slightly, and a few lawyers look like they’re working hard to hold back yawns.

That’s despite a big day of revelations about how politically sensitive elements of a report were removed.

Watson is still giving evidence on the document, working through the edits point-by-point.

Watson is asked by counsel assisting the inquiry Mark Costello, KC, whether elements had been removed from other reports.

Watson says there were various minor changes, and one major change to a report into violence in Queensland relating to the Oaky Creek coal mine.

He wrote about it because “it was the worst example in the whole of the Queensland report”, adding that ousted state leader Jade Ingham was present.

But, ultimately, Watson says it was reasonable it was not included in the final reports handed to CFMEU administrator Mark Irving KC because it technically involved the mining division of the union – not the construction and general division under administration.

“I can’t remember anything else that worried me,” Watson says.