The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Nick McKenzie, Angus Delaney
Two officials from the Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), Brendan Mizzi and Corey Laux, have been charged by Victoria Police’s Taskforce Hawk for distributing intimate images following a raid weeks ago. The charges stem from an incident earlier this year where a former union organiser's phone was stolen and its data illegally accessed and disseminated, allegedly as retaliation against the false accusation that he assisted authorities investigating corruption within the union. Michael Crosby, the CFMEU administrator, had previously described such actions as criminal behavior; Mizzi and Laux now face potential dismissal from their positions due to these charges.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The Victorian branch of the CFMEU has been plunged into a fresh crisis amid revelations two serving officials have been charged over the distribution of naked images of the fiancee of a former union organiser falsely accused of assisting authorities.
asserted
officials → plunge → authorities
Detectives from Victoria Police’s Taskforce Hawk charged CFMEU organisers Brendan Mizzi and Corey Laux on Thursday after uncovering evidence during raids weeks ago that police will allege shows both union officials illegally distributed the intimate images.
asserted
officials → charge → images
The charging of the pair will almost certainly result in their sacking from the scandal-plagued Victorian branch of the union, given administrator Michael Crosby’s strident comments about the data breach earlier this year.
asserted
charging → result → breach
In July, The Age revealed how police suspected unknown CFMEU officials engaged in an “inside job” when they stole a phone belonging to a former CFMEU organiser who had been falsely accused of working with authorities to expose corruption inside the Victorian branch.
asserted
who → reveal → branch
The former organiser had handed his phone to CFMEU employees prior to resigning from the branch.
asserted
organiser → hand → branch
Rather than the phone being wiped, police suspect figures inside the Victorian CFMEU headquarters downloaded its data and distributed its content to feared members of Melbourne’s underworld and thousands of workers in the building industry.
asserted
figures → wipe → industry
The mass leak, which included intimate images of the ex-organiser’s partner, was seen as being designed to incite reprisals against the former organiser over the inaccurate claim that he was assisting authorities investigating wrongdoing inside the CFMEU.
uncertain
he → include → CFMEU
In a statement, police said a 37-year-old St Albans Park man was charged with five counts of distributing an intimate image after a search warrant was executed early on Thursday morning.
asserted
warrant → say → morning
He was bailed to appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court in January.
asserted
He → bail → January
Police said a 46-year-old man from Westbury, in Gippsland, was then also arrested and charged with five counts of distributing an intimate image.
asserted
man → say → image
The man was bailed to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in January.
asserted
man → bail → January
The statement said a 39-year-old Taylor Lakes man was also arrested last week by the cybercrime squad but released pending further inquiries, although police seized a mobile phone, two Tasers and knuckledusters.
asserted
police → say → phone
A 33-year-old Pascoe Vale man was charged the same day with distributing an intimate image and bailed to appear in January.
asserted
man → charge → January
When details of the leak were first published, Crosby, the CFMEU administrator, described those responsible for sharing the phone’s contents as having engaged in appalling and potentially criminal behaviour.
asserted
Crosby → publish → behaviour
On Thursday, the CFMEU said in a statement only that the matter was under investigation.
asserted
matter → say → investigation
The alleged theft and leaking of the phone data is likely to be examined in the upcoming construction project royal commission, including whether the data was distributed as part of a culture of attacking or intimidating those thought to be co-operating with authorities.
asserted
data → allege → authorities
Premier Ben Carroll said on Thursday that the government was still examining whether former ministers, including Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews, would get taxpayer-funded legal assistance if asked to give evidence at the royal commission.
asserted
ministers → say → commission
He said the government was also considering funding legal representation for former public servants, and that royal commissioner Chris Kourakis, the Department of Premier and Cabinet and other agencies would have input.
asserted
government → say → input
“We are working through those issues,” Carroll said.
asserted
Carroll → work → issues
The royal commission was established after two years of reporting in this masthead into allegations of organised crime infiltration and misconduct within the CFMEU and on the state government’s flagship $109 billion Big Build program.
asserted
commission → establish → program
Governments generally pay legal costs incurred by current and former public servants who give evidence at royal commissions.
asserted
who → pay → commissions
Taxpayers paid more than $1 million to cover the legal costs of Coalition ministers during the robo-debt royal commission, including over $460,000 for former prime minister Scott Morrison.
asserted
Taxpayers → pay → Morrison
Carroll said decisions on whether the government would fund legal advice would “be taken and made in appropriate course of time and action”, and he had little oversight on the matter as the commission was independent of government.
Carroll has repeatedly said the commission will be able to reveal “everything that needs to be uncovered”.
He said it was possible hearings would be held during the campaign for the November 28 election.
asserted
hearings → say → election
He has also previously promised that cabinet documents would be given to the commission, and not protected under cabinet confidentiality.
asserted
documents → promise → confidentiality
The federal government this year tried to prevent the antisemitism royal commission from accessing cabinet documents relating to counterterrorism funding by lodging a public interest immunity claim.
uncertain
government → try → claim
Cabinet documents are generally considered protected, so ministers can speak freely.
asserted
ministers → consider → ?
But in the case of the antisemitism inquiry, royal commissioner Virginia Bell overruled the government’s attempt to withhold the documents.
asserted
Bell → overrule → documents
When establishing the royal commission on August 20, Carroll confirmed he would ensure no cabinet documents and briefs would be protected from the royal commission.
“Our intention is to give the royal commissioner every power, every resource he needs ... nothing is off limits,” he said.
asserted
he → establish → limits
More from our Building Bad investigation
- How we got here: Labor, the CFMEU and the $109 billion question that Victorians want answered.
-
asserted
Victorians → get → investigation
- ‘Rotting from the top’: How bribery, drugs, and bikies likely cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
asserted
bribery → rot → dollars
Advisers sought to warn Jacinta Allan of union misconduct and criminal infiltration on the Big Build long before the scandal broke.
asserted
scandal → seek → Build
- The cost: CFMEU price tag of each Metro station revealed.
asserted
tag → reveal → station
The economist whose work was used to dispute the cost of union corruption says he was never asked about it.
asserted
he → use → it
- Administrator fights back:
asserted
Administrator → fight → ?
CFMEU’s new administrator says the culture in the union’s Victorian arm remains broken.
asserted
culture → say → arm
A company that secured contracts as the leading women-led supplier of female workers on Labor’s Big Build is owned by a male serial domestic violence abuser.
asserted
that → secure → abuser
- ‘Grind it out’: How Jacinta Allan defended her refusal to establish a royal commission into Big Build corruption.
asserted
Allan → grind → corruption
The Aporia
