Latest
40pc of blue-chip company directors lack skin in the game
Of the 22 directors of ASX 300 companies who were paid more than $1 million last year, only three were female, a survey shows.
- Sally Patten
Directors revolt over government’s climate, IR and merger laws
Mandatory climate reporting, tougher merger laws and workplace legal changes have seen concerns over red tape soar.
- Patrick Durkin
TWU stands down Victorian boss over misconduct claims
The Victorian head of the Transport Workers Union and influential player in the state’s Labor Right faction has been stood down over claims of inappropriate behaviour.
- David Marin-Guzman
Threat to customer safety cited in call to end sparkie work bans
Endeavour Energy has launched legal action to stop six months of industrial action, as other power workers join to form a triple threat to major projects in NSW.
- David Marin-Guzman, Campbell Kwan and Angela Macdonald-Smith
Watt moves to create CFMEU special powers
The deadline for the CFMEU to consent to the administrator has surpassed, triggering the government to move ahead with creating new laws.
- James Hall
Higgins rape case judge calls for greater judicial accountability
Michael Lee urged media outlets to more aggressively fight suppression orders, which he said should only be used in a “small range of cases”.
- Aaron Patrick
Recent columns
CFMEU is a dirty word the industry doesn’t want to talk about
A construction industry conference billed as important as UN climate conferences barely touched corruption allegations roiling the sector.
Senior correspondent
Let the CFMEU purge itself of the criminal, corrupt, and violent
Rather than politicised building codes, the best way to clean up the law-breaking is to empower legitimate officials who understand that a union’s special legal status comes with moral responsibility.
Former Union Official.
Labor must call an inquiry to permanently clean up the CFMEU
Amid the seeming powerlessness of anti-corruption bodies and the traditional reluctance of the police to investigate industrial relations matters, the call for a royal commission appears justified.
Editorial
Five fixes are called for to clean up the CFMEU
Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rid our biggest construction union of ingrained criminal and corrupt conduct. We cannot afford to miss it.
Contributor
This Month
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- UNSW
Law students targeting real-life opportunities for learning
Practical experience and career opportunities are a must for students when choosing a law degree.
Sponsored
by UNSW
The CEO of this $1b company was told he’d ‘never amount to anything’
Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, home to some of the country’s largest coal power plants, is an unlikely birthplace for Aussie Broadband and its CEO.
- Patrick Durkin
High Court to test competition law on CFMEU ‘boycott’
The case will test the reach of competition laws on the CFMEU and builders when they kick non-union subcontractors from construction sites.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Analysis
- CFMEU
CFMEU is a dirty word the industry doesn’t want to talk about
A construction industry conference billed as important as UN climate conferences barely touched corruption allegations roiling the sector.
- Aaron Patrick
- Exclusive
- Building Bad
CFMEU put Bandidos bikie on its governing board
Marty Albert was a union organiser on Victorian government construction projects and held a senior position in the John Setka-led branch of the CFMEU.
- David Marin-Guzman and Nick McKenzie
How geopolitical tension is changing ANZ and its clients
Geopolitical risk is hitting boardrooms with a bang, with ANZ the first of the big four banks to create a specialised unit.
- Patrick Durkin
It’s not just the Olympics, lawyers get post-project blues too
It’s not just Olympians who wonder what’s next after years of work culminate in a dramatic conclusion. Lawyers and consultants also get post-project blues.
- Euan Black
- Exclusive
- CFMEU
HSU calls on Diana Asmar to stand down over ‘ghost’ services probe
The Health Services Union wants its Victorian leader to stand aside after claims her branch spent more than $3 million for non-existent or “ghost” services.
- David Marin-Guzman and Nick McKenzie
- Exclusive
- Building Bad
CFMEU, health union probed over alleged millions spent on ‘ghost printing’
Victoria Police and the Fair Work Commission are investigating a potential multi-million dollar fraud and allegations a top official misspent members’ money.
- Nick McKenzie, Keiran Rooney, David Marin-Guzman and Ben Schneiders
McDonald’s hit with multi-employer bargaining push
The retail union is using Labor’s new multi-employer bargaining laws to force McDonald’s back to the negotiating table for its first collective agreement in more than a decade.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Opinion
- Industrial relations
Let the CFMEU purge itself of the criminal, corrupt, and violent
Rather than politicised building codes, the best way to clean up the law-breaking is to empower legitimate officials who understand that a union’s special legal status comes with moral responsibility.
- Scott Riches
One consulting firm has more Olympians than the others
In the hyper-competitive world of big four consulting in Australia, one firm stands out in a completely unofficial ranking of which has more Olympic athletes at the Paris Games.
- Euan Black
Getting witnesses to talk is tough in CFMEU case, court told
The judge in the union administration case has recused himself at the first hearing, as the Fair Work Commission’s lawyer warns it will take time to prepare the case.
- David Marin-Guzman
Why most executives don’t reach their full potential
Early in his career, a senior colleague suggested Mick O’Brien, now a $900 million company CEO, take on a management role. Luckily his colleague could see his potential.
- Sally Patten and Lap Phan
Dead email address for CFMEU evidence a ‘technical issue’, Allan says
The Victorian premier has defended Labor’s investigation into illegal activity in the construction industry against claims it is a “smokescreen”.
- Gus McCubbing and James Hall
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Labor must call an inquiry to permanently clean up the CFMEU
Amid the seeming powerlessness of anti-corruption bodies and the traditional reluctance of the police to investigate industrial relations matters, the call for a royal commission appears justified.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- CFMEU
Five fixes are called for to clean up the CFMEU
Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rid our biggest construction union of ingrained criminal and corrupt conduct. We cannot afford to miss it.
- Innes Willox
As a state school graduate, I believe in private schools
A British financier explains why she educated her children privately, even though the government gave her a good education.
- Helena Morrissey
‘If I stand behind Mandela and he gets shot, I’ll take a bullet, too’
In the final years of apartheid in South Africa, a young doctor was asked to prepare for an assassination attempt on current and future presidents.
- Peter Friedland and Jill Margo
