Kangaroo Court in Queensland
A Case of Retaliation, Not Representation
Today, it is alleged a kangaroo court-style meeting reportedly took place inside the Queensland Branch office of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), a division of the CFMEU.
The meeting was supposedly being led by the Assistant Branch Secretary, Paul Gallagher, with the goal of suspending elected Branch Committee Members Mark and Bobby Maguire.
Their alleged crime?
Being the supposed “source” behind an Australian Financial Review (AFR) article about the Branch and National Office’s quiet decision to “stand by” the embattled Branch Secretary, Jason Miners. The article in question was published on April 30.
Both Mark and Bobby have already refuted the baseless accusations in writing. But it seems the Assistant Secretary and some aligned Branch Committee Members are determined to proceed anyway, undeterred by the absence of facts.
There is no evidence. No due process. Just innuendo, guilt by association, and the targeting of those who speak out.
A familiar pattern is playing out: smear first, punish second, and silence the fallout.
At the heart of this vendetta lies a disturbing phrase reportedly used in internal correspondence: “on the balance of probabilities” and “your family being a known source,” as justification for disciplinary action.
In a courtroom, such a claim - void of evidence and rooted in defamatory insinuation - would be laughed out.
But this isn’t about law or justice. It’s about power.
It’s about officials like Paul Gallagher and Jason Miners weaponising procedure to go after dissenters, just as they allegedly did when spy cameras were installed in the MUA boardroom, under their leadership.
This kind of surveillance sends a clear message:
’We are watching you.’
It creates an environment of fear, not safety. Control, not representation.
Let’s also not forget the moment Gallagher publicly outed another Executive member as “mentally unwell,” or something to that effect, in a social media post, only to delete it after I called him out on it.
That act alone speaks volumes about the culture being cultivated: one that shames vulnerability, disregards dignity, and sees dissent or struggle as weakness to be punished or mocked.
This is not the trade unionism so many of us believe in.
This is not solidarity. It’s sabotage - from the inside.
Rank-and-file members should not have to fear surveillance in their own union spaces.
Elected committee members should not be threatened with suspension for refusing to toe the “party line.”
And mental health weaponised in public posts?
That’s not just unbecoming, it’s a betrayal of everything union leadership should protect.
The Queensland Branch of the MUA has become a cautionary tale.
It’s time the national movement took notice, and did something more than just “observe.”
How many more good people will be pushed out, defamed, or watched behind closed doors before we admit this isn’t just dysfunction, it’s institutional decay?
Let’s be clear: the AFR article dated April 29 refers to a Queensland union member filing formal charges against Jason Miners. A Branch Committee meeting was hastily convened the same day. Mark attended in person, Bobby via media link, where it was decided not to address the charges directly, but instead to back Miners while removing him from paid duties (placing him on leave entitlements).
This isn’t secrecy. It was raised in the Branch’s monthly meeting and is now public knowledge.
So what exactly is going on in this Branch?
Instead of addressing the substantive issues or the charges filed, certain officials seem more concerned with punishing dissent.
“Treachery” is the new label thrown at those who speak up, challenge the leadership, or raise concerns publicly.
Suspension is being used as a blunt instrument against rank-and-file representatives.
Does the broader committee really stand by this?
Or is this yet another example of a lone crusade backed by a faction willing to weaponise process and position to stifle dissent?
What’s clear is that the Queensland Branch of the Maritime Division is rapidly becoming a case study in dysfunction, and a stain on the proud history of unionism in this country.
National oversight seems to have done little to fix the rot.
How much longer must principled, rank-and-file members endure this culture of vindictiveness, secrecy, and retribution?
Supporting comment:
“One is not surprised by Jason Miners’ actions. He exemplifies the kind of vindictive, incompetent leadership that’s turning once-militant and respected unions into corporate-friendly shells. With help from the National Office, they’re eroding everything we once stood for.”
A disheartened rank-and-file member