It’s been revealed the so-called CFMEU tax added up to $468 million to the cost of building Light Rail Stage Three.
The revelations were contained in an interim report by the Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating the actions of the union.
The report found the Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPIC), introduced by the former Labor state government, increased costs by between 22 and 67 per cent.
That ended up costing taxpayers between $150 million and $428.7 million.
Some of the benefits workers received under the sweetheart deal included 26 rostered days off a year, double-time for working in the rain and a mobile phone allowance of up to $100 a week.
Work would also come to a halt if the temperature hit 35 degrees or 29 degrees and 75 per cent humidity, a regular occurrence on the Gold Coast
The original value of the contract for light rail stage 3 before BPIC was introduced was $663 million.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads estimated in November 2021 that BPIC would add an extra $206.3 million to the bill.
But by February 2024, contractor John Holland forecast the extra costs would come in at $428.7 million, an increase of 67 per cent on the original contract value.
The final cost to taxpayers for Light Rail Stage 3 came in at $1.55 billion dollars.
On Thursday, Opposition Leader Steven Miles apologised for the framework introduced under the former Labor government, but argued unions took advantage of it.
“I accept that I could have and should have acted sooner … for not acting sooner, I apologise,” Miles said.
“It’s clear from both the administration that we put in place and the findings of the commission of inquiry that the door was left too far open, and the CFMEU and some contractors misused that policy.”
Miles insists BPIC will never be Labor policy again.
The LNP government immediately scrapped BPIC after coming to power in 2024.
