It’s time to cut union influence over government in Queensland

Corruption and criminality have no place in our political system. You would think we could all agree on that, surely? Sadly, that's not the case in Queensland.

In this state, corruption and criminality are tolerated at the highest levels of government.

Not only does our Government turn a blind eye to corruption, it even accepts huge sums of money from an organisation that extorts cash from Queenslanders.

It's hard to believe this is happening in 2018, some 30 years after the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

But it is happening and it's been happening for a long, long time.

Perhaps that's why so many people just accept the way things are.

Whatever the reason, it's time we clean up Queensland politics. And the CFMEU's relationship with the Queensland Labor Party is the best place to start.

The media has repeatedly exposed the shocking extent of the CFMEU's criminality. In the past 18 months, the union's Queensland branch has been hit with fines totalling $2.4 million after losing 10 cases brought by the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with a CFMEU flag flying in the background. Picture: AAP/Darren England

The union uses intimidation to force individuals and firms to use CFMEU workers and its favoured contractors. Workers who don't fall in line are attacked as "gutless grubs, scabs and dogs weak as piss".

At the Oaky North coal mine, a CFMEU member is even alleged to have threatened to rape the child of a non-union worker.

The conduct of this union is disgraceful. Too many of its officials are nothing more than bullies and cowards. They even boast about breaking the law.