Overview
- Peter McKay, who oversaw Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, testified Thursday that CFMEU officials refused hotlines and phoned him directly with complaints, which he then forwarded to the triage team.
- McKay said CFMEU leaders had the ear of the state government and met with senior figures including the then-premier and the industrial relations minister at Brisbane’s 1 William Street offices.
- He told the commission the calls often raised minor issues, such as an air freshener not listed on a chemical register, and he feared forcing use of the hotline would trigger a surge of staged calls to swamp the system.
- The inquiry also heard this week from executive director Sarina Wise that inspectors issued an unsafe work order against their own workplace to avoid sites when a CFMEU official filmed and posted videos of them online.
- Principal inspector David Cappelletti told the commission the union kept a “hit list” of inspectors it wanted gone and said managers pressured staff to depart from legislation to produce outcomes the CFMEU sought.