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The author of a damning report into the CFMEU has taken aim at the Victorian Labor government over suggestions he walked back his findings, during an at-times fiery appearance at Queensland’s Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU and Misconduct in the Construction Industry.
Taking the stand in Brisbane on Friday, Geoffrey Watson, SC, said criticism of his Rotting from the Top report from Victorian Labor government figures had challenged his integrity.
Former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, who was deposed as Labor leader this week, had repeatedly claimed Watson had walked away from his Rotting from the Top finding that CFMEU wrongdoing might have added 15 per cent to the cost of Victoria’s signature $100 billion Big Build program.
Responding to a question from counsel assisting the inquiry Patrick Wheelahan, KC, Watson told the hearing he took umbrage at Allan’s comments in the media.
“No, nobody from the Labor Party has contacted me at all to discuss that,” Watson said.
“They made those statements to the press without asking me anything about how I arrived at the report, what I’d done to achieve the report, nothing.
“And, as you say, they were bitterly critical remarks. It’s hard to read them as being any less than they were suggesting I made it up.”
Watson also responded to an affidavit from M1 Traffic Control QLD director Michael Portia denying Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto’s involvement in his company.
“There are seven things in Mr Portia’s affidavit where he has said I made false statements. Note those words. He didn’t say mistaken, wrong. He said false, as though it was deliberate,” he said.
Watson said he would not withdraw from his remarks.
“More than ever, it is my view that all the evidence points to Mick Gatto controlling the M Group companies,” he said.
Watson said M Group was a “business which was commenced by an act of corruption”, drawing an objection from Simon Wilson, KC, acting for the M1 Trades Group. It was the first of several fiery confrontations between the two.
“On what factual basis is that assertion and allegation being made?” Wilson said.
Watson: “It’s based, Mr Wilson, on 20 years’ experience working in the area of corruption, public sector corruption, and corporate – don’t laugh, it’s been a pretty stressful time for me.”
That prompted an intervention from commissioner Stuart Wood.
“Let’s do this in an orthodox manner,” he said.
Watson told the commission he was disappointed by the reaction within the Allan government of the Rotting from the Top report.
“I thought that it was just astonishing when I listened to the [3AW host] Jacqui Felgate interview [with Gatto],” he said.
“You know what he picked up to criticise the report? The words which were being used against me by the premier of Victoria, the police minister, and the attorney-general.
“He used their words against me. I hope you never find yourself in that position. It was just awful.
“The police minister even had the temerity to say, if I had a problem, why didn’t I go the police. Oh, by the way, police minister, did you? Because if you had, you would have found out from your police force that I was going to them every week.
“So, yeah, I’m a little bit sensitive about that.”
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