Chief Minister Andrew Barr must suspend ACT Labor's affiliation with the CFMEU and halt donations while investigations into the union's alleged connections to organised crime take place, Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee says.
Ms Lee said Mr Barr's response to serious allegations about the union had been weak and the Chief Minister should act to prevent ACT Labor receiving donations from the union.
The federal government is appointing an independent administrator to take over the embattled union.
"We have seen a number of state leaders in other jurisdictions take action on this issue including suspending affiliations with the CFMEU but all Andrew Barr has done is dodge and deflect," Ms Lee said.
"This includes South Australia where the Premier has written to the state Labor executive asking it to suspend affiliation despite there being no evidence of criminality related specifically to the South Australia branch of the CFMEU.
"It is not good enough for Andrew Barr to point the finger at other state branches of the CFMEU and say we don't accept donations from those branches so it will be business as usual."
Ms Lee said Mr Barr needed to show leadership and suspend his party's affiliation with the CFMEU and reject donations from the organisation while investigations happen around the country.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on Wednesday announced an independent administrator would take charge of the CFMEU and he had written to the Australian Federal Police calling on them to investigate allegations of criminal infiltration in the union.
"What I'm wanting to do is make sure this is a process under the regulator and not a political process. And so therefore I want to make sure that regulator has no barriers in dealing with any part of the construction division, not limited to Victoria. ... So I want them to be able to have the full powers to be able to act in the public interest," Mr Burke said at a press conference at Parliament House.
The scrutiny comes after reporting in the Nine newspapers detailing allegations of bikie gang, criminal gang and underworld involvement in the union's activities.
Mr Burke also said he was "glad" Mr Barr had ruled out the CFMEU being handed more power in the ACT to investigate and prosecute companies vying for ACT government contracts.
The Canberra Times on Tuesday revealed the ACT branch of the union had put forward a motion to be debated at ACT Labor's annual conference later this month, seeking greater union involvement in the territory's procurement process.
Mr Barr has in fact not ruled out the change, but said it was not being actively considered by the ACT government and was subject to amendment at the conference.
"At this stage, the policy proposals put forward as motions are neither an ACT Labor party policy position, nor something that is being actively considered by the government," he said.
The CFMEU's influence on procurement has formed a key part of an Integrity Commission investigation, which has heard evidence a tender for a primary school upgrade was handed to a more expensive bidder at the urging of the union.
Mr Barr on Tuesday said ACT Labor condemned in the strongest terms criminal activities alleged to have been undertaken by members of the CFMEU Victorian/Tasmanian branch.
"We reiterate the views expressed by the Prime Minister, the Victorian Premier and the secretary of the ACTU that this behaviour has no place in the union movement," Mr Barr said.
"The national CFMEU needs to urgently clean up its Victorian/Tasmanian branch in the best interests of Victorian and Tasmanian construction workers and the broader union movement.
"The starting point for this is the decision to place the Victorian/Tasmanian branch into administration, and we are expecting that further actions will be announced in the coming days."
Mr Barr noted the allegations published by the Nine newspapers at the weekend did not include the ACT branch of the CFMEU.
"ACT Labor has not received any donations or affiliation fees from the Victorian/Tasmanian branch of the CFMEU," he said.
ACT Labor reported more than $21,000 in donations from the CFMEU in 2023-24.
The Canberra Times suggests no wrongdoing on the part of the ACT branch of the union.
Chris Minns, the Labor premier of NSW, on Wednesday announced he had written to the general secretary of NSW Labor to request an immediate suspension of the CFMEU construction and general division's party affiliation and to stop any donations or affiliation fees.
The request follows allegations of misconduct levelled at the NSW branch of the union published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday morning.
