The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (known as the CFMEU) has been at the centre of some pretty damning allegations over the past couple of weeks including corruption, links to organised crime, and standover tactics. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll explain who the union is, the reasons it has come under scrutiny, and why this scandal is such a big issue for the Labor party.

Squiz recommends:

Listening: An episode of the ABC’s Insiders podcast called On Background: The CFMEU’s corruption crisis, and it features an interview with investigative journalist Nick McKenzie who was one of the team from the SMH who broke the story.

Reading: An article from the Australian Financial Review called Political Poison: Unions, the Labor Party and the CFMEU. It is behind a paywall but it really helps with understanding the impact of the union on the cost of housing and major infrastructure projects.

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