Unionist accused of rape

Alleged assault after United Voice National Council

A UNION member has been charged with two counts of rape after a United Voice function held on the Gold Coast this week.

The Brisbane man accused of the rape and the alleged victim were attending the United Voice National Council to vote on the union’s leadership.

Police will allege that the man and the woman went out for drinks after a function on Sunday night.

The pair joined a group of people and went back to another union member’s unit in Surfers Paradise to continue drinking.

The man has been accused of raping the woman in the early hours of Monday.

A police spokeswoman said the man was arrested and charged on Tuesday after a complaint by the alleged victim. “On Tuesday, police charged a … man with two counts of rape following an alleged incident at a Surfers Paradise hotel in the early hours of Monday, August 27,” the spokeswoman said. “He is scheduled to reappear at the Southport Magistrates Court on September 11.”

United Voice national secretary Jo Schofield, who was voted back into her position on the Gold Coast this week, said the union would not comment on the matter, but had asked the alleged offender to stand down from his position pending the out come of the investigation and case.

United Voice has more than 120,000 members across Australia and represent a wide array of organisations including childcare workers, education workers and was most recently involved in the strikes at Brisbane’s XXXX brewery.

In a separate statement on its website, United Voice said the meeting held on the Coast this week was an opportunity for members’ voices to be heard. “United Voice National Council is the national platform for making decisions about the future direction of our union. The National Council elects the National Executive, ensuring that members’ voices are heard and vocalised at every level of United Voice,” the statement said.