Updated ,first published
Queensland’s CFMEU inquiry has accused a Gold Coast traffic management operation of having links with Melbourne underworld identity Mick Gatto.
Inquiry figures held an unusual media conference outside the company’s address on Wednesday morning, urging anyone with information to come forward.
Counsel assisting the inquiry Patrick Wheelahan said M1 Traffic Control Queensland appeared to have recently begun operations in the state.
The firm had “similar features” to the M Group traffic control model documented by the CFMEU administration’s former corruption-busting barrister Geoffrey Watson.
“The corporate structure in the ASIC records for M1 Traffic Control QLD shows similar features to those Watson SC documented: a Paragalli as director, a company with the name of Portia Nominees as a shareholder, and all shares held non-beneficially,” Wheelehan said.
The inquiry figures said no findings had been made, and they were not suggesting who owned the company or that it had engaged in any misconduct.
“However, I will say that we will investigate any information we are given regarding the establishment of M1 Traffic Control Queensland Pty Ltd in Queensland and those it does business with,” Wheelahan added.
Watson’s recent report into the Victorian branch of the CFMEU described the union’s insistence that M Group companies be used for work, under implicit or explicit threat of industrial disruption.
While noting Gatto denied he owned the companies, Watson has described this as “transparently false” and involving crude attempts to conceal his involvement.
Gatto has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and derided Watson’s findings publicly.
“The companies were fronted by two men, Tony Paragalli and Michael Portia, who were described by Watson SC as dummy directors,” Wheelahan said.
“It would be remiss of us not to investigate, on the back of [Watson’s] report, that one of the companies that he says is linked to Mick Gatto now sets up in Queensland, because Queensland does not want to end up like Victoria.”
In material provided to media, the inquiry presented LinkedIn posts from the firm – trading as the Melbourne-headquartered M1 Traffic and Labour – and its Queensland director Jordan Paragalli announcing the launch of its operations in the state last month.
M1 Traffic Control is licensed by Queensland regulators as a labour hire operator.
In one post, Paragalli names Mr Traffic Hire – with which the firm shares its Molendinar industrial estate premises – as “our trusted suppliers” and thanks its managing director Jamie Haitas.
Mr Traffic’s website features a post detailing its expansion into Queensland from Victoria in September last year.
No representative of either company authorised to speak to media was present at the site on Wednesday morning at the time of the inquiry’s media conference.
Both companies have been contacted for comment.
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Matt Dennien is a reporter at Brisbane Times covering state politics and the public service. He has previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email.
