Building Bad
The explosive inside story of the CFMEU
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The shocking story of corruption, violence and organised crime inside the CMFEU
In 2024, the spotlight fell on the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU), and specifically the Victorian branch. Whistleblowers and witnesses pointed to the union's sinister links with outlaw bikie gangs and underworld figures. Walkley Award-winning journalists Nick McKenzie and Ben Schneiders joined forces to dig deeper and together they uncovered evidence of blackmail, extortion, drug trafficking on sites, sexual misconduct, bribery, and rorting of government contracts.
One man, John Setka, had been the head of the CFMEU in Victoria since 2012. For the next twelve years, fighting for power, money, and jobs for the boys took precedence over workers' welfare. Underworld figures and bikies were appointed to senior roles alongside Setka. Major Victorian and NSW government construction projects were rorted. Though McKenzie received death threats telling him to back off, he kept stirring the hornet's nest, investigating sinister elements at the heart of the CFMEU and asking questions senior members of the Victorian government still need to answer.
Incendiary, shocking and completely engrossing, Building Bad exposes the tangled web of criminal activity that consumed the CFMEU. A powerful reminder that without brave investigative journalists, corrupt institutions go unchecked, leaving society to pay the price.
Customer Reviews
From buffaloes to dinosaurs
The most disappointing aspect of this book is how some union leaders betray the very essence of their workers. Construction unions have worked tirelessly to make workplaces safe. The macho posturing of some leaders is something from another age and excludes women members. Yet missing from the focus is how corrupt Australia is when it comes to doing business and the construction industry exploitation of substandard builds, attempts to lower wages and reduce safety on sites. Labor may benefit from unions but not as much as the conservatives from business. My hope is that union leaders like John Setka go the way of the dinosaur