More failed cases against CFMEU brought by Royal Commission Police   
July 21 2016  CFMEU
Two more cases brought against the CFMEU by the Trade Union Royal Commission Police have failed in court in Brisbane this week.

On Monday, CFMEU official Chad Bragdon was found Not Guilty of intimidating or obstructing a Commonwealth official and on Wednesday CFMEU official Mark O’Brien was found to have no case to answer in relation to obstructing a Commonwealth Official.

CFMEU National Construction Secretary Dave Noonan said the decisions in the union’s favour in relation to cases launched by the Trade Union Royal Commission Police demonstrate once again, that the police is being used for political purposes.

“Both Mr Bragdon and Mr O’Brien were arrested in September and October 2015, respectively for alleged offences dating back two and a half years.

“Their arrests were at the height of the Trade Union Royal Commission when the Liberal Government was attempting to create a climate of hysteria in relation to the union in order to garner support for their ABCC bill.”    

Mr Noonan said that the Federal Government was wasting police resources simply to further the Government’s political agenda.

“It is clear that these cases had little chance of success. The magistrate in Mr O’Brien’s case called the prosecution’s case a ‘dog’s breakfast’ and costs were awarded in his favour. 

“As we have seen in previous cases brought against CFMEU officials in the ACT, Queensland and New South Wales, there were very flimsy grounds for the charges laid and it must be obvious to any first year law student that they have little chance of success.”

The decisions in Brisbane this week follow the dropping of charges against ACT CFMEU Secretary Dean Hall in March and Queensland organiser Andrew Sutherland in February. New South Wales organiser Michael Greenfield was found Not Guilty in March and last year, the charges against ACT organiser Johnny Lomax were also dropped. 

Mr Noonan said the community are owed an explanation as to why public money is being wasted on cases where there are no grounds for the charges laid. 

“How many more millions will be squandered by the Turnbull Government in order to promote their ideological agenda, when there are more pressing matters for the police to attend to?”
More failed cases against CFMEU brought by Royal Commission Police

Two more cases brought against the CFMEU by the Trade Union Royal Commission Police have failed in court in Brisbane this week.

On Monday, CFMEU official Chad Bragdon was found Not Guilty of intimidating or obstructing a Commonwealth official and on Wednesday CFMEU official Mark O’Brien was found to have no case to answer in relation to obstructing a Commonwealth Official.

CFMEU National Construction Secretary Dave Noonan said the decisions in the union’s favour in relation to cases launched by the Trade Union Royal Commission Police demonstrate once again, that the police is being used for political purposes.

“Both Mr Bragdon and Mr O’Brien were arrested in September and October 2015, respectively for alleged offences dating back two and a half years.

“Their arrests were at the height of the Trade Union Royal Commission when the Liberal Government was attempting to create a climate of hysteria in relation to the union in order to garner support for their ABCC bill.” 

Mr Noonan said that the Federal Government was wasting police resources simply to further the Government’s political agenda.

“It is clear that these cases had little chance of success. The magistrate in Mr O’Brien’s case called the prosecution’s case a ‘dog’s breakfast’ and costs were awarded in his favour. 

“As we have seen in previous cases brought against CFMEU officials in the ACT, Queensland and New South Wales, there were very flimsy grounds for the charges laid and it must be obvious to any first year law student that they have little chance of success.”

The decisions in Brisbane this week follow the dropping of charges against ACT CFMEU Secretary Dean Hall in March and Queensland organiser Andrew Sutherland in February. New South Wales organiser Michael Greenfield was found Not Guilty in March and last year, the charges against ACT organiser Johnny Lomax were also dropped. 

Mr Noonan said the community are owed an explanation as to why public money is being wasted on cases where there are no grounds for the charges laid. 

“How many more millions will be squandered by the Turnbull Government in order to promote their ideological agenda, when there are more pressing matters for the police to attend to?”

Number of successful prosecutions

Still one  ::)

80M Freaking Dollars....

When is the RC into LNP financing??

Its time wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2016 at 8:14am:

Number of successful prosecutions Still one  ::)

Perhaps it is a funding issue.  There is still a stack of money for the RC into child abuses - why not second more of that?   Who cares if more little boys have abused bottoms and psychological problems as long as the Coalition can find something, anything, on Gillard and the Unions.    Absolute disgrace the amount of money that has been spent on this with little outcomes.

Turc 80million
ABCC 250million
Howards RC in to unions 55million

Number of successful prosecutions

Not 100 , not 60 , not 40 , not 30 , not 18 ( Like ICAC  :)) , not 8 not even 2, 385 milllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllion dollars spent for drumroll

ONE successful prosecution , that is what I call, the most , epic of failures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPybbfCevZo

It could easily be said that Labor under Shorten lost the election by the whiskers of a 'royal commission'.  Without that propaganda-based expense out  of the public pocket Labor/Shorten may have gotten over the line.

This sort of nonsense has to stop.  :-/

Its time wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2016 at 8:14am:

Number of successful prosecutions Still one  ::)

Yes.. yes.. yes... but we are assured by at least one user here that the unions are rife with thugs and stand-over merchants and thieves and liars and cheats and rip-off merchants who steal their member's funds.... you know the drift by now....

I await the advent of The Usual Suspects with bated breath...

Why on Earth does the LNP waste OUR time and money on these witch hunts?

(a. because their builder mates pay them enough to chase the Unions as a puny little man's back-stabbing attempt to cut down wages and conditions so they can earn more profit - they'd do better to work WITH their troops than against them, but her... who am I etc?).....

We need a return to the immigration of the kinds of people who understand Rights and don't come from darkened societies where the Union is another name for Communist or where the concept of a united front doesn't exist.  I've warned about that years ago as well, alongside the effects of the MADIF (I note the disciples are appearing in another forum now and warning of the often dire consequences and outcomes for the many of the MADIF), over-supply of workers, affirmative action, advent of Mediterreanean/Central/Eastern European/Asian/Middle Eastern style 'industrial 'relations' and so forth ... but hey... nobody needs to listen to a lone voice in the wilderness, eh?

you'll get armpit and cods come on soon to tell you that there are still 98 cases pending  :D :D :D

The facts speak for themselves!

1 successful prosecution!

What can the rightards say? (the ones that harp on continually about labor wasting money)

John Smith wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2016 at 9:38am:

you'll get armpit and cods come on soon to tell you that there are still 98 cases pending  :D :D :D

not at all.. I am very glad our Unions are squeaky clean..... did I think they were... no I didnt...but I was wrong...

so the Royal did something after all didnt it...

after all we did have the HSU cases which I guess were only minor.and blown out of proportion  .

this rightard will do her best to see only the good in Unions ..any suggestion of corruption or blackmail.. will be ignored.. couldnt happen.

I thought THOMMO and Williamson were exposed before the RC, but I may be wrong?

Of course it did catch Abbotts favourite whistle blower, so thats a positive.

cods wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2016 at 10:07am:

so the Royal did something after all didnt it...

yes, it wasted another $80 million we didn't have

In the eyes of libs i suppose any negativity is worth the price (especially as it was taxpayer funded).

Redmond Neck wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2016 at 10:18am:

I thought THOMMO and Williamson were exposed before the RC, but I may be wrong? Of course it did catch Abbotts favourite whistle blower, so thats a positive.

2007 it was - a good year....