Illegals arrested this morning

Date: 09 September 2002

Royal Commission ignored evidence for 3 months

Five suspected illegal immigrants were detained early this morning when 20 officials from the Department of Immigration raided the factory showroom of De Lorenzo Ceramics at Baulkham Hills.

A sixth escaped the raid on foot and remains at large.

The Department of Immigration was acting on information received from the CFMEU. The illegals had been working for 50% less than industry rates of pay, undercutting legitimate companies and keeping young Australians out of jobs.

The CFMEU had however previously given information about De Lorenzo using illegal labour to the Royal Commission into the Building Industry. CFMEU State Secretary Andrew Ferguson asked the Commission in early June to investigate De Lorenzo and had received assurances from Commissioner Terrence Cole that "enquiries would be made" by Commission Investigators.

Despite this assurance, the Royal Commission sat on the information received for three months and did not so much as refer it to the Department of Immigration. Only after the CFMEU (in a meeting with Philip Ruddock last week) threatened to have the De Lorenzo scandal raised in Federal Parliament did the Minister order the raid.

CFMEU State Secretary Andrew Ferguson slammed the Royal Commission today. "For Terrence Cole to ignore clear evidence provided to him of criminal behaviour by a rogue employer is the real scandal here. The Royal Commission's anti Union bias is so strong they sat on clear evidence of employer illegality for three months."

For further information

Contact:	Phil Davey
Union:	CFMEU
Phone:	0414 867188

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