Maggots for meals at Kidston Pumped Hydro Project
In late 2025 and early 2026, workers at the $1 billion Kidston Pumped Hydro Project were subjected to appalling and unsafe living conditions, including being served meals contaminated with maggots, flies and mould. Despite earlier assurances from the Genex backed joint venture between John Holland and McConnell Dowell to rectify food safety and accommodation issues, conditions deteriorated further, raising serious fears of gastro outbreaks, bacterial infection and salmonella at the remote camp.
The ETU QLD and NT repeatedly exposed systemic failures, including sham or incomplete food safety audits, poor sanitation, inadequate cleaning, food shortages due to flooding, unreliable Wi-Fi and broken commitments that had formed the basis for workers remaining on site. With workers reporting desperation so severe they considered helicoptering in their own food, we made it clear these were not minor oversights but fundamental breaches of workplace health and safety obligations.
We demanded transparency, accountability and immediate action, warning no worker should be forced to choose between earning a living and risking their health. Following sustained union pressure, the employer was forced to act.
Workers were sent home on full pay and were not returned to site until all food safety, accommodation and health issues were fixed and independently verified as safe, a clear demonstration of the ETU fighting for workers’ rights at its very best.
LNP Slashes funding to Energy Queensland
The ETU, alongside The Services Union (TSU) and Professionals Australia, have taken decisive action to protect members from a significant wage cut proposed by Energy Queensland Limited (EQL) under the LNP State Government.
EQL had proposed moving more than 3,000 workers from a 10-day fortnight to a 9-day fortnight, a cut that would have slashed wages by up to 22.5% while stripping thousands of hours from an already stretched frontline workforce during peak disaster season. The unions made it clear this was not a genuine efficiency, but a direct attack on wages, safety and service delivery for Queensland communities.
Following a dispute lodged by the Single Bargaining Unions (ETU, TSU and Professionals Australia), coordinated and immediate union action delivered a clear result. EQL CEO Peter Scott confirmed the proposal had been withdrawn and will not proceed. Union advocacy has protected up to nearly a quarter of wages for more than 3,000 workers, preventing a major reduction in income and safeguarding the capacity of the electricity network. This outcome is a powerful reminder of the value of union membership and collective action. While this is an important win, the fight is far from over.
LNP and EQL cuts continue
The ETU QLD and NT condemned the LNP State Government’s decision to cut an alleged $880 million from Energy Queensland, warning the move could cost up to 150 supply industry jobs and seriously weaken Queensland’s electricity network. The cuts come during a brutal disaster season marked by cyclones, flooding and extreme heatwaves, when the demand on the ageing network is already at breaking point.
Northern Queensland communities were still recovering from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji, while heatwaves in the southeast recently left more than 20,000 homes without power for days. Past events, including Tropical Cyclone Alfred, showed that every available worker and contractor was needed to restore electricity safely and quickly.
Slashing maintenance funding during a disaster crisis is reckless and ideological, directly undermining disaster response capability. Frontline energy workers are being pushed to the limit while essential backup resources are stripped away. The result will be longer outages, reduced safety and communities left exposed when the next disaster hits, the ETU QLD and NT made this clear through multiple Media Releases and constant pressure.
Furthering on from the alleged cuts to EQL, the ETU QLD and NT demanded urgent clarity from EQL and the State Government over the proposed job cuts to maintenance and contractor roles. This was a response to the Crisafulli Government denying job losses in parliament claiming the job cuts to be “untrue”, even though workers have been told their positions are at risk, creating fear and uncertainty for them and their families. With floods and storms expected and contractors being removed, outage response times could stretch from days into weeks. Cutting frontline energy jobs during peak disaster season is reckless, undermines power restoration and puts communities at risk. Workers deserve certainty, and Queenslanders deserve reliable electricity when it matters most.
ETU QLD and NT continues to fight this LNP State Government and stand up for workers, as we knew when this Government was first elected, this is only the start. If LNP history writes itself again we know what’s next… Privatisation of our assets. We continue to fight and prepare to battle what’s next, because if you don’t fight, you lose!
Proposed Hate Speech Bill is a “Dangerous Gag” on Worker Rights To Protest
The ETU QLD and NT have strongly opposed the State Government’s proposed hate speech legislation, warning it represents a dangerous overreach that threatens workers’ rights to protest and engage in political expression. While the ETU supports genuine efforts to combat racism, bigotry and religious vilification, the union argues the bill goes far beyond this and risks being used to silence political speech the government finds inconvenient.
State Secretary Peter Ong has condemned the bill, warning it sets a dangerous precedent by criminalising slogans and “offensive” speech. Ongy said the legislation opens the door for governments to decide what is acceptable on picket lines and at rallies, with the potential to see union chants and banners targeted next.
The ETU QLD and NT have called on the Queensland Government to immediately scrap the proposed jail terms for speech and engage in genuine consultation with the labour movement to ensure the Anti-Discrimination Act is not used as a weapon against genuine and lawful activism which should be encouraged in a healthy democracy. “We will be watching every MP closely on this,” Ongy said. “You cannot claim to be a friend of the worker while you’re handing the police the keys to lock them up for what’s written on their placards.”
A massive year ahead for the Queensland and Northern Territory Branch.