Police Raid CFMEU Melbourne Headquarters, 5 Arrested

A union official walks past the Victorian headquarters of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) in Melbourne, Australia, on July 17, 2024. William West/AFP via Getty ImagesVictorian police have raided the headquarters of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) in Melbourne and taken five people into custody.Five other addresses have also been targeted in the operation.“Detectives from Taskforce Hawk executed warrants at six addresses this morning as part of a current investigation into information provided re secret commissions,” a Victorian Police spokesperson told the Epoch Times.“One of the warrants was executed at a premises on Elizabeth Street in Carlton. Five people have been taken into custody and are being interviewed by police.”The raids follow the June 2024 launch of Taskforce Hawk, which was established to investigate alleged criminal conduct and bikie gang infiltration across major government infrastructure projects.In August 2024, the federal government put the CFMEU’s construction and general division into administration amid allegations of misconduct.The CFMEU confirmed it was aware of the police action in a statement.“CFMEU has been made aware of a police operation this morning as part of Taskforce Hawk,” the union said.“As this is a live police matter, CFMEU cannot comment further at this time.”The raids come just days after Victorian Premier Ben Carroll announced a $50 million (US$35.9 million) royal commission into the state’s Big Build infrastructure program.The $140 billion program has been the subject of corruption allegations involving the CFMEU.Carroll said the terms of reference of the royal commission would be broad.“They cover the conduct of the CFMEU, construction companies, labour hire firms, consortia, and criminal actors on Victoria’s major projects,” Carroll said.“It will follow the money, examine the systems that were exploited, and tell us plainly what went wrong and what must change.”However, the commission does not have the power to lay charges.