Union meddle in CPAC denied

EMERGENCY Services Minister Craig Crawford has denied union interference had any hand in the Cairns Performing Arts Centre’s fire safety accreditation headache.

Cairns Regional Council Mayor Bob Manning has vowed to open the $71.1 million building on December 15 and questioned the validity of concerns raised about its cladding and insulation.

The council has received the tick of approval from Canberra-based Ignis Labs, one of Australia’s most reputable fire safety firms, but Mr Crawford said he was still concerned about the tests’ validity.

Cr Manning suggested the continued pressure was a union attempt to delay the opening.

“You’ve got to start to wonder what’s going on, are there other parties involved in this to embarrass us?” he said.

“And they’re not going to embarrass us because the opening’s going ahead.”

The council has been in a wage dispute with the unions for more than a year, resulting in strikes in April and August.

There were allegations CFMEU officials abused Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors at the CPAC site in April.

The alleged abuse occurred after the union called on WHSQ to the site in attempt to shut down work – a request the inspectors refused.

Mr Crawford said any suggestion of union meddling was completely untrue.

He said he took advice from top QFES employees including Assistant Commissioner John Watson, who came to Cairns last month to “walk the mayor through” the issues.

“The difference with Cairns Hospital (D Block) and other buildings is they were constructed prior to this,” he said.

“They’ve already been signed off, certified and in operation for a number of years. With CPAC, they still have to get their permission to open.”

He said the issue could have been avoided if more care was taken during the materials procurement stage.

“Somebody dropped ball,” he said.

“I’m not aware of any other building in the state that’s in a situation like this.”

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