Latest news with #JarrodBleijie
Sydney Morning Herald
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Bleijie lays groundwork for deeper public inquiry into state CFMEU
The news Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has urged Queenslanders to 'prepare to come forward with their stories' about the CFMEU while remaining coy about whether the state would launch a new royal commission-style probe into the union. The state's Industrial Relations Minister made the comments at a media conference on Thursday where two industry figures who spoke alongside Bleijie urged the government to launch such an inquiry to dive deeper into the union's 'culture of violence' detailed in a report this week. 'I was asked that yesterday, and I will say today, I'm not ruling anything in or out,' Bleijie said, again accusing former Labor ministers of 'enabling' the union and enacting favourable laws the LNP was now combing over with an eye to change. Why it matters The 45-page report, published online on Wednesday evening with some redacted names also being sought by Bleijie, conveys the findings of a three-month investigation that its author, barrister Geoffrey Watson SC, said might only scratch the surface of violence in the union. Watson's investigation was commissioned by CFMEU administrator Mark Irving KC in February, after the federal-government initiated administration sacked dozens of officials nationwide following revelations of corruption and bikie links against figures in Victoria and NSW. The ousted Queensland leadership dismissed the report's key finding the union was misogynistic, violent and abusive as 'offensive and untrue', while the state's peak union body urged the pair to accept and apologise for their actions while allowing the union to 'better itself for its members'.
The Age
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Bleijie lays groundwork for deeper public inquiry into state CFMEU
The news Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has urged Queenslanders to 'prepare to come forward with their stories' about the CFMEU while remaining coy about whether the state would launch a new royal commission-style probe into the union. The state's Industrial Relations Minister made the comments at a media conference on Thursday where two industry figures who spoke alongside Bleijie urged the government to launch such an inquiry to dive deeper into the union's 'culture of violence' detailed in a report this week. 'I was asked that yesterday, and I will say today, I'm not ruling anything in or out,' Bleijie said, again accusing former Labor ministers of 'enabling' the union and enacting favourable laws the LNP was now combing over with an eye to change. Why it matters The 45-page report, published online on Wednesday evening with some redacted names also being sought by Bleijie, conveys the findings of a three-month investigation that its author, barrister Geoffrey Watson SC, said might only scratch the surface of violence in the union. Watson's investigation was commissioned by CFMEU administrator Mark Irving KC in February, after the federal-government initiated administration sacked dozens of officials nationwide following revelations of corruption and bikie links against figures in Victoria and NSW. The ousted Queensland leadership dismissed the report's key finding the union was misogynistic, violent and abusive as 'offensive and untrue', while the state's peak union body urged the pair to accept and apologise for their actions while allowing the union to 'better itself for its members'.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Queensland's nurses and midwives ramp up industrial action as pay negotiations break down
Tens of thousands of nurses and midwives across Queensland have ramped up strike action today, accusing the government of "gaslighting" them amid stalled pay negotiations. Stage two of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) industrial action involves up to 45,000 workers refusing to do tasks not related to clinical care at public hospitals and healthcare facilities around the state. As part of the action nurses are not working overtime without four hours' notice, making and cleaning beds or transferring stable patients. They have also pledged to take breaks in full. Enterprise bargaining negotiations began in January, with the union seeking a 13 per cent pay rise over three years, while the government offered 11. QNMU secretary Sarah Beaman said the government was breaking its pre-election promise to deliver nation-leading pay and conditions. "Nurses and midwives are holding the system together through sheer will, determination and skill, but they are over the government's gaslighting and they are over their stalling tactics," she said. "They are telling the government that they need to listen. They are at breaking point and they've had enough. Deputy Premier and Industrial Relations Minister Jarrod Bleijie refused to comment specifically on the strike action. "That protected action is a matter for the nurses. As I said, we continue to negotiate in good faith," he said. He added he didn't think it would affect other upcoming public sector wage agreement negotiations. "I think there's over 27 in the next three years. So, in all of those situations we'll negotiate, as always, in good faith." Ms Beaman said she remained optimistic a deal could be struck. "There is the option to go to further actions and stage three. However, I am hopeful that the government will listen," she said. Speaking outside the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, patient Colin Hackwaad said the negotiations were about more than just money. "I think everyone's struggling, and [nurses] do some really awful shifts, 24-hour rotations, and through time, they've taken away a lot of the benefits," he said. "They've been given a solid pay rate but taken benefits away, so as time goes on, you start to say 'hang on, you're not getting a good deal anymore'." Richard Harrison, who was visiting his father-in-law at the hospital, said practitioners at the facility did a "fantastic job" and he supported the strike action. "The care in that hospital is awesome," he said. "Without them, where would we be? The government has claimed an offer made by the union last week was the first formal one it had received, although the union rejected that suggestion. "This is an example of the government actually misleading [the public]," Ms Beaman said. "The QNMU has been negotiating with the Department of Health since January, and there have been numerous items put forward as part of that negotiation." She said under the government's latest offer, up to 66 per cent of nurses and midwives would not have the nation-leading pay and conditions that had been promised. "The premier was very clear that he says he respects nurses and midwives, but now he needs to walk the talk. Respect is more than words, it is actions," Ms Beaman said. Deputy Opposition leader Cameron Dick said Premier David Crisafulli needed to follow through on a "clear and unambiguous promise". "Our hard-working frontline heroes in health just expect the premier to deliver on his promise which was nation-leading wages and conditions," he said. "That's all nurses and midwives have asked of the government."
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Queensland facing 54,000 infrastructure workforce shortfall ahead of Olympic Games, data shows
Queensland will have a shortage of more than 50,000 workers when construction begins next year on venues for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, data is forecasting. Infrastructure Australia data comparing supply and demand for construction jobs in Queensland shows a supply of 42,200 workers as of July — just over half of the 83,300 required to meet current demand. That's forecast to get worse as the Olympics approach, peaking in March next year with a projected 43,800 workers to meet a demand of almost 98,500 — a shortfall of 54,700 jobs. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the government was pulling levers and he was confident infrastructure targets would be met. "The budget that we recently handed down had a record investment in infrastructure of over $116 billion in infrastructure across the state," he said. "That is the biggest capital pipeline in Queensland's history." Mr Bleijie, who is also the infrastructure and state development minister, said drawing workers from interstate and overseas would be instrumental to making up the workforce shortfall. "But they'll only do it if their workers can get a roof over their head, which we're dealing with with the residential activation fund … if there's opportunities and jobs, which there's going to be … they'll only do it if there's an industrial relations landscape that is good for business, which there will be," he said. Master Builders Queensland chief executive Paul Bidwell said meeting demand was a challenge. "We're optimistic that with goodwill and with the Queensland government, the federal government, industry and the unions working together we can deliver all that work, but it is going to be a challenge," he said. Mr Bidwell said state and federal government programs, like free apprenticeships for people over 25 years old, wage subsidies for small businesses, and financial incentives for entering the industry, will help move the needle. "The government doesn't have that many levers it can pull and I think they are pulling the right ones," he said. "Every bit helps. Alone, they won't make a significant difference but you add them all up and I think it will make a material difference." However, Mr Bidwell said productivity on big projects was equivalent to about three and a half days a week. "We need to be up to five days a week and that requires government, industry, and the union to sit down and develop some arrangements that will increase productivity," he said. He said interstate workers would be part of the solution but Queensland would have to expand its workforce. "In Victoria things have cooled off a bit, so there may well be business or individuals who are willing to come and be a part of that Olympic construction, but it's not as if it's going to be oodles of people coming in," Mr Bidwell said. "The best opportunity for us is to grow our own. It's about getting more apprentices, getting more young people into the training system and then retaining them so they come out the other end."
Sky News AU
07-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
State braces for 54,700-worker shortage as Olympic Games construction threatens to overwhelm infrastructure pipeline
Queensland is on a collision course with a critical workforce crisis, with fresh figures revealing the state will fall short by more than 50,000 construction workers just as it begins the mammoth effort to build venues for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. As early as March 2026, when construction is expected to ramp up significantly, the shortfall is forecast to hit 54,700 workers, posing serious questions about the delivery of the broader $117 billion public infrastructure pipeline. Infrastructure Australia's most recent data shows that Queensland needs 83,300 workers to meet demand but has just 42,200 available - a staggering gap of 41,100 roles yet to be filled. Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Jarrod Bleijie said the state is 'pulling all infrastructure levers' and banking on productivity reforms to help manage the demand surge. 'With a laser-like focus on productivity reforms and the biggest infrastructure capital budget in our history, the LNP is pulling all infrastructure levers available,' Mr Bleijie said, according to The Courier Mail. The data, based on committed projects through to 2028, paints a challenging picture. Only a few trades, including electricians, plumbers, carpenters and architects, are so far avoiding the vacancy crisis. By 2026, specific areas of concern include a 17,000-worker shortfall in concreting, 10,000 general construction and labourer vacancies, along with significant gaps in structural steel erectors and civil engineers. The last time Queensland had enough construction workers to meet demand was March 2021. Andrew Chapman, CEO of the Queensland Major Contractors Association, suggested even modest improvements in site operations could make a meaningful difference. 'If we are able to improve productivity through different delivery approaches, like use of technology, better industrial relations practices on site including flexible RDO schedule in line with the project schedule, managing hot weather impacts better than 28 degrees and work stops … then that peak demand will come down to something that is more manageable,' he said. Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) projects the state will need up to 156,000 construction workers at the height of activity in 2026–27. That same year, Queensland is expected to be 50,000 workers short - mirroring Infrastructure Australia's warnings. CSQ has urged the state to take a longer-term view, pushing for stronger apprenticeship pathways and initiatives to improve retention, as dropout rates continue to undermine the pipeline of future tradies. Paul Bidwell, chief executive of Master Builders Queensland, said the Olympics may serve as a drawcard for workers but warned it wouldn't be enough to plug the annual gap of 18,000 workers over the next eight years.
