Story summary
On May 1, 2024, a brawl broke out at the Dutton Park Cross River Rail site in Brisbane when workers attempted to enter despite being blocked by CFMEU members. Soane Tuakalau, a worker who was part of a group trying to access the site, testified that he and his team were confronted by about 20 masked men, leading to violent clashes that spilled onto Noble Street.
The incident occurred as part of an escalating campaign against major contractor CPB by the CFMEU. The inquiry, led by Stuart Wood, has accused a Cross River Rail project manager, Patrick O’Brien, of deliberately withholding evidence regarding the brawl. Commissioner Wood also criticized both police and contractors for failing to prevent the escalation into violence.
Wood released images of 15 men, some masked, involved in the "confrontational protest," seeking further information from them. He highlighted that if employers had better managed their union delegates' movements, a police intervention might have been avoided. The inquiry continues with hearings expected this week on union activity at the Dutton Park site.
Written for “Cross River Rail Brawl Inquiry” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 61864: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-10-07
Alleged failures from both police and major contractors to prevent the escalation into violence of a CFMEU blockade of Brisbane rail project sites have been aired in Queensland’s inquiry into the union and construction sector.
asserted
failures → allege → sector
The public probe has returned for a second day of evidence this week surrounding the May 2023 incident, which resulted in what Commissioner Stuart Wood described as a “riot” at the Dutton Park Cross River Rail station site.
uncertain
Wood → return → site
A series of two dozen CFMEU-associated men involved – some previously subject to a public callout by the inquiry – have also been identified, with Wood questioning the police response and the actions of firms employing the men.
asserted
Wood → associate → men
“One of the things that’s come up over the past couple of days has been the failure of the police to ensure there was lawful access to this site,” Wood said on Wednesday morning.
asserted
Wood → come → morning
“But if each of the employers – and I think Hutchinson’s got five of them – had either not employed these people as delegates, or had ensured they stayed at the site at which they were nominally employed, you wouldn’t have had that group of people at the Cross River Rail site for the police to have to be called.
asserted
police → think → site
It’s all very well to criticise the police for their failure, but what are these tier-one contractors doing, allowing this army of delegates to run around causing havoc?”
asserted
army → ’ → havoc
Counsel assisting the inquiry Eddy Gisonda KC reminded Wood the brawl, which emerged as a group of workers attempted to enter one of the project sites being obstructed by the CFMEU, was happening at the same time as a separate union campaign.
asserted
group → assist → campaign
This one, relating to the Centenary Bridge upgrade in Brisbane’s west, was subject to evidence during a recent hearing that ousted union leadership figure Jade Ingham had sent a message to all delegates requiring them to attend that site.
asserted
Ingham → relate → site
“And then you saw the outcome of that.
asserted
you → see → that
There was at least 30, if not more, delegates, and there was other evidence where he threatened to have 2[00]-300 people attend the site at a moment’s notice,” Gisonda said.
asserted
Gisonda → be → notice
“But in order for those people to be able to follow those instructions, they need to either have the permission or acquiescence of their employer.”
asserted
they → follow → employer
Gisonda also took the inquiry through detail of the 15 men who the inquiry wanted to hear from in a public call-out in April so “all relevant perspectives are heard”.
asserted
perspectives → take → April
Most of the men were not employees of the project, and had roles in other parts of Brisbane and south-east Queensland.
asserted
Most → have → Brisbane
A number were delegates with major contractors including Hutchinson, John Holland and Multiplex.
asserted
number → include → Hutchinson
Others, including Dean Rielly, Dylan Howard, Andrew Blakeley, Cody Budgeon, Dennis Mitchell, Hayden Turner-Davey and Matthew Vonhoff, were CFMEU organisers.
asserted
Others → include → Rielly
Mitchell and Turner-Davey were described by Gisonda as the two “main men” involved in the brawl.
asserted
Mitchell → describe → brawl
Earlier on Wednesday, a human resource manager on the project – Matt Papworth – said the situation was difficult for the Unity Alliance, including the CFMEU-targeted CPB, to manage.
asserted
Alliance → say → CPB
Gisonda took Papworth through a WhatsApp chat for senior figures that catalogued the union campaign and project’s response around the brawl – which triggered a court injunction.
asserted
which → take → injunction
Messages shown to the inquiry, and Papworth’s evidence, show discussion of the union’s actions being in breach of the order.
asserted
Messages → show → order
One message also included a copy-and-pasted response from police over concerns raised about union action at one of the sites with a strong CFMEU presence during the period.
asserted
message → include → period
It appeared to show police saying they were aware of “planned industrial political activity involving CFMEU members” but “will not be responding to any industrial incidents unless criminal activity occurs or there is serious public disorder”.
asserted
activity → appear → incidents
“I think a presence from Queensland Police would have been advantageous,” Papworth said.
asserted
Papworth → think → Police
Wood said the situation seemed to bear resemblance to a matter in Tasmania where there was a “misunderstanding” by the police commissioner in how to respond to an issue at the Burnie Paper Mill.
asserted
situation → say → Mill
Gisonda said it was “the exact issue” and there seemed to be a misunderstanding “as to whether criminal activity is occurring in the first place” and that public disorder had to be of a “serious” nature.
asserted
disorder → say → nature
“What are they supposed to do if the police don’t act,” Wood said.
asserted
Wood → suppose → What
“I mean, they’ve got the option of self-help, try and push through the picket line – which then turns into a riot – or give in.
asserted
which → mean → riot
I mean, what do you do?”
asserted
you → mean → what
The $95 million multi-year inquiry, in its fifteenth block of public hearings, will continue to hear evidence across Wednesday and Thursday.
asserted
inquiry → continue → Wednesday
The Aporia
