Brisbane protests: Construction workers and CFMEU members march across city as they demand action on housing crisis

Protesting construction workers and trade unionists have brought parts of Brisbane to a standstill as they demand action on the housing crisis.

Members of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy union (CFMEU) are organizing three separate marches across Brisbane’s CBD on Thursday.

Workers began marching in the morning to the Brisbane Convention Center where the Labor Party is holding its national conference.

They demand more action against the national housing crisis, in addition to a windfall tax and a ban on artificial stone.

The process of making engineered stone generates silica dust, which can cause fatal lung disease if inhaled over time.

“If they don’t ban these imports, politicians will have blood on their hands,” Queensland Secretary of State Jade Ingham told the paper. Courier Mail.

“We elected them and it’s time for them to represent us.”

Police have warned motorists of delays in the CBD along Victoria Bridge and at Southbank when the conference begins.

At separate protests today in central Brisbane, environmentalists are calling for more action to fight climate change, while members of the Labor Party opposed to the AUKUS nuclear submarines will also stage a demonstration.

Labor is holding its first national conference in Brisbane since the 1970s and around 2,000 party members are expected, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

It is the Labor Party’s highest decision-making forum, with policy decisions passed by nearly 400 voting deputies binding at the federal level.