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Trade union royal commission called for extortion charge against CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar

By Mark Solomons
Posted about an hour ago
PHOTO: Michael Ravbar is due to give evidence to the royal commission.(AAP: Dan Peled)
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MAP: Brisbane 4000
The royal commission into trade unions pushed Queensland authorities to bring criminal charges against union boss Michael Ravbar nine months ago but they are yet to act.
Mr Ravbar, the state secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), is due to give evidence in the inquiry hearings in Brisbane today.
The commission recommended charges of extortion under the Queensland Criminal Code against him in its interim report published last December.
The ABC has learned that the commission also wrote separately to the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions soon afterwards, drawing its attention to the recommendation.
A spokesman for the Queensland DPP told the ABC it would not make any comment on the matter.
However he added: "The independent DPP has not discussed or corresponded about this matter with any member of the Government."
Last week Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told Parliament that the Labor Party had begun disciplinary action against former CFMEU president Dave Hanna.
He immediately resigned from the party.
It followed allegations in the royal commission that Mr Hanna had benefited from tens of thousands of dollars worth of free work on a house he had built for his family south of Brisbane in 2013.
The State Opposition yesterday called on the Labor Party in Queensland to sever its ties with the CFMEU after further damaging allegations about union officials, including Mr Ravbar.
Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday the allegations emerging from the royal commission were "outrageous" but that she would wait to see the outcome before taking any action.
Mr Hanna has told the commission it was Mr Ravbar's idea to obstruct security cameras at the union's Brisbane offices when large quantities of documents were being removed for destruction in April 2014.
The activity was on the same day the royal commission served a notice to produce documents on the union at its Melbourne national headquarters.
A CFMEU staffer testified yesterday, however, that Mr Hanna had told him to cover up the cameras.
Mr Hanna resigned from the CFMEU last month.
The royal commission's recommendation of extortion charges against Mr Ravbar related to alleged attempts to exclude certain contractors from worksites unless they made financial contributions to the union.
From other news sites:

• The Courier-Mail: Labor's divided house has rotten foundations

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-...nions-michael-ravbar-extortion-charge/6800540