[3] In July 2024, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, 60 Minutes and the Australian Financial Review published allegations of corruption within the Construction Division of the CFMEU's Victorian Branch.

[5][6] In August 2024, the government passed legislation which allowed Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to place all of the CFMEU's construction and general divisions under administration.

The division also has members working off-site in manufacturing workplaces such as shopfitting workshops, joinery shops and other establishments involved in the pre-fabrication of materials used in the construction process.

In July 2024, a day after John Setka resigned as secretary of the Victorian-Tasmanian division, a joint investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, 60 Minutes, and the Australian Financial Review found alleged corruption within the CFMEU, such as criminals and outlaw motorcycle club members being parachuted into the union.

The Victorian Branch was placed under independent administration and the ACTU suspended its affiliation with the CFMEU's construction division in some states.

[11][12] In August, the government passed laws to place the entire Construction division under administration, firing 290 union officials from their roles.

[14] John Setka launched a High Court challenge, stating that the laws were unconstitutional, as they violated union members' right to due process.

[20] The Construction Division is often associated with the left faction of the Australian labour movement, but during the 2010 Federal election the CFMEU and AMWU donated a total of $60,000 to the Greens.

to pay for TV airtime for a women's rights ad-spot condemning Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party.

[24] In July 2023, CFMEU announced a campaign for a super profits tax to address Australia's affordable housing crisis, with National Secretary Zach Smith telling the National Press Club in Australia that a 40 percent tax on excess profits would raise the billions of dollars to build social and affordable housing.

In a media statement released on 9 October 2024, Mr O'Connor stated “There is absolutely no benefit to our members of the Manufacturing Division remaining within the CFMEU.

In 1940 the union filed an application and succeeded in extending its coverage to most workers employed in the timber and wood industry including cabinet makers and furniture factories.

In 1991 it amalgamated with the Pulp & Paper Workers' Federation of Australia to form the Australian Timber & Allied Industries Union.

[33] The Fair Work Commission approved the merger in March 2018 of the CFMEU, MUA and the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA).

As a result of the commission's findings the Howard government established the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (commonly known as the ABCC) in 2005.

It had a wide range of powers, including compelling testimony under oath, with penalties of up to $22,000 for individuals and $110,000 for corporations and unions apply for breaches of the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005.

After the two failed attempts to reintroduce the ABCC, in December 2016 Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the double dissolution 2016 federal election.

Following the election, the reelected Turnbull government was successful in reinstating the ABCC with the vote of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, the Nick Xenophon Team and Senator Derryn Hinch.

The CFMEU and workers had to prove a workplace was unsafe to put a stop to work on a site which has not happened to date.

For the purpose of supporting or advancing their claims, employees of BHP Coal took protected industrial action in the form of work stoppages and overtime bans.

[39] On appeal to the High Court of Australia, it was held that the dismissal of Doevendans was permissible under the Fair Work Act 2009.