CFMEU? NO CLUE
Mayoral candidate ‘unaware’ union bankrolled her campaign
A POWERFUL union spent $38,000 trying to get Penny Toland elected mayor of the Gold Coast — but she “wasn’t aware” of the funding. Ms Toland told the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission she only learned the extent of the CFMEU’s involvement after polling day.
INDEPENDENT mayoral candidate Penny Toland “wasn’t aware or interested” that one of Queensland’s most powerful unions was bankrolling her election campaign against rival Tom Tate.
The Crime and Corruption Commission hearing in Brisbane yesterday was told the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) spent $38,000 on Ms Toland’s campaign – double the $20,000 in donations she raised.
Two union heavyweights gave evidence that the funding would not have been approved unless ticked off by the well-known Coast Labor Left identity who previously ran for the ALP in the state seat of Broadwater.
Ms Toland told the hearing she was not aware of the funding until her face appeared on billboard trucks and bus signs, and was immediately horrified.
“It’s mortifying seeing my head that big,” she said.
Cr Tate, an LNP member, spent about $180,000 from his own pocket to win the March 2016 poll, receiving 63 per cent of the vote. Ms Toland finished second with almost 20 per cent.
The hearing was told the CFMEU had emailed Ms Toland an itemised list of expenses the same day she lodged her declaration forms.
The union campaign included the billboard truck advertising, high-visibility shirts, how-to-vote cards and office signage.
In her evidence, Ms To- land maintained assistant state secretary Andrew Sutherland had said the CFMEU would support her candidacy “outside” of her campaign.
She assumed the union campaign would either be anti-Tom Tate or pro-Penny Toland.
But it was not until after polling day that, out of “curiosity”, she asked the union about the extent of its support.
In key evidence, it was revealed the CFMEU only became involved in Ms Toland’s campaign after she contacted Mr Sutherland for help.
“I was trying to get in front of as many people as possible,” she said.
Ms Toland said she wanted Mr Sutherland’s help to meet members to ask for volunteers.
Mr Sutherland took Ms Toland to meet CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar who gave the green light to support her campaign.
She said she understood the support had conditions.
“If they were to do anything they would be running their own show,” Ms Toland said.
“It was very clearly put to me that they are very good at running campaigns.”
Mr Ravbar said the candidates were in charge in their campaigns.
“To the best of my knowledge they pretty much ran their own campaigns,” Mr Ravbar said.
In a majority of cases candidates would request assistance from the CFMEU and Mr Ravbar would then approve or refuse the expenditure.
Mr Ravbar said he only met with Ms Toland once and all subsequent requests from her campaign came through Mr Sutherland.
“It was her initiative, and those things came through Andrew,” Mr Ravbar said.
“I am assuming it was from Penny.”
In testimony which contradicted that of Ms Toland, Mr Sutherland said he would have told her when the union was prepared to pay for election costs.
Regarding the bus ad, Mr Sutherland said he was contacted by the transit company after two members of Ms Toland’s campaign team passed on his email address.
“It wasn’t my idea,” Mr Sutherland said.
“We would have had a conversation saying: ‘Hey, we got the artwork’.”
Under questioning, Mr Sutherland again stated Ms Toland would have been informed beforehand.
“I would have told her I was getting the shirts,” Mr Sutherland said.
Outside the commission in Brisbane, Ms Toland said she did everything required of her by law.
“I disclosed everything that was involved in my campaign,” she said. “I can’t disclose what I don’t know.”
The CCC is investigationg the conduct of candidates at the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Logan council election in 2016.
IT WAS VERY CLEARLY PUT TO ME THAT THEY (THE CFMEU) ARE VERY GOOD AT RUNNING CAMPAIGNS PENNY TOLAND