Friday BBQ Demands and a 3mm Puddle Work Stoppage: CFMEU Inquiry Claims Have Tradies Divided

💬 CFMEU Commission of Inquiry Hears the “Three Mil” Account

Cross River Rail site manager Justin Bishop told the inquiry that a safety committee was conducting a wet-weather walk following rain when workers objected to walking through a puddle.

According to Bishop, around 350 – 400 workers were sitting in the shed while work was stopped. Asked whether workers continued to be paid during stoppages, he replied: “Absolutely they get paid.”

Bishop described the water as three millimetres deep, telling the inquiry: “That’s the sort of stuff that you’re dealing with.” That measurement and description are Bishop’s account to the inquiry, rather than an independently established finding.

🎥 Watch the 3mm Puddle Evidence and Read the Comments

Watch Justin Bishop give his account below, then open the original Instagram post to read the comments on both sides.

Evidence described above reflects Bishop’s testimony. Instagram comments are individual opinions and unverified accounts, not inquiry findings or a representative survey of tradies. Video credit: The Courier-Mail.

🌭 And Then There Was the Friday BBQ

Bishop also described an October 2024 confrontation with CFMEU delegate Richie Atutolu that began over workers having to use turnstiles to enter the site.

The discussion moved to why Bishop wasn’t providing a barbecue for the entire workforce every Friday. “I said, ‘we don’t have a budget to supply barbecues to 400 men or 600 men every Friday. It’s just not going to happen’,” Bishop told the inquiry.

📱 CFMEU News Has the Comments Section Arguing Both Ways

The puddle account attracted some predictable responses. One Instagram commenter wrote: “Rain drops, Work Stops!” Another asked: “Did he measure the 3mm with his audacity”. But a comparison with retail workplaces captured the other side of the argument:

Instagram user _micklerickle wrote:

“If a Bunnings or an Officeworks had 3mm across the floor they’d close it and mop it up before letting people go through it, if someone slips on it an injures themselves their liable.”

Others questioned why a genuinely small puddle couldn’t simply be cleared so work could resume. One commenter claiming to have worked on the project disputed the account of rain stoppages and referred to flooding. That claim has not been independently verified.

The disagreement comes down to whether the evidence describes an excessive stoppage or leaves out conditions that would make workers’ concerns understandable.

If there’s a silver lining in all this, it’s that the inquiry has served up some hilarious claims…