Queensland's CFMEU bosses came under fire at a sweeping probe in Brisbane on Tuesday, accused of revelling in being "feared by everybody".
Barrister Geoffrey Watson did not hold back as the first witness at the inquiry triggered by his damning report that alleged the state's CFMEU had a cycle of lawlessness and an utter contempt for the law.
In compelling and at times testy evidence, Mr Watson said the union saw itself as effectively administering industrial relations policy in Queensland via standover tactics.
He gave an example where a senior union official, whose name was redacted, had spoken to a veteran public servant and told him, "You're doing what we tell you to do from now on."
The confrontation happened after the CFMEU had been invited to consult on a draft of legislation, with the inference being that it should effectively have been left to the union to draft on its own terms.
He also detailed a series of hostile interactions with Workplace Health and Safety inspectors, including the case of union official Roland Cummins.
He was charged with intimidation after calling a government safety inspector a "f***ing dog" on a Cairns work site.
After the conviction was successfully appealed, former union secretary Michael Ravbar called on the inspector to apologise despite Mr Cummins not denying he had used the words.
In his report, Mr Watson said it demonstrated how far the leadership had departed from the norms of a civilised society.
"You would think that a decent leader would have it in mind, seeing this in newspaper reports, to bring Cummins in to say, 'What on earth are you doing' - just the opposite," Mr Watson said.
Other disturbing incidents alleged in the report included a worker being chased with an angle grinder and women and children being intimidated.
Civil engineers refused to go to construction sites including Brisbane's major Cross River Rail project due to the CFMEU's threats and abuse, Mr Watson said.
Mr Watson, a former counsel assisting for NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption, noted his probe might have only scratched the surface of the CFMEU's relentless pursuit of political, industrial and financial power.
There was intense competition between the CFMEU and the Australian Workers Union, with turf wars over building sites driven by competition for membership, the inquiry heard.
He noted an incident involving Stacey Schinnerl who was the first female branch secretary of the AWU, a "pretty famously blokey union".
Ms Schinnerl made a joke about safety on CFMEU sites at a Labor Party state conference, prompting a walkout by its union members.
"What I'm looking at is the reaction which some people have when women get involved," Mr Watson said.
"I wonder if we'd be a whole lot better off if there were a lot more women like Stacey Schinnerl in positions of power."
The CFMEU was put into administration nationwide in 2024 following claims bikies and organised crime figures had infiltrated the organisation.
The embattled union's leadership was removed and placed under the control of administrator Mark Irving KC, who is set to appear on Thursday.
The 12-month commission of inquiry is being helmed by experienced industrial relations lawyer Stuart Wood KC.
He will have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence and documents to be tabled to the inquiry, as well as protect victims and whistleblowers.
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