Overview
- Witnesses told the inquiry that a May 1, 2024 picket-line confrontation at the Dutton Park Cross River Rail site spilled onto Noble Street and became a violent brawl captured on video.
- Electrical safety officer Sky Lewis described being grabbed and shoved by a picketer and said she felt trapped and terrified during the incident.
- Labourer Soane Tuakalau said he was struck in the head during the melee and that the footage shows punches being thrown as the fight moved into traffic.
- Commissioner Stuart Wood publicly accused former site manager Patrick O’Brien of deliberately withholding evidence and questioned the accuracy of his memory under oath.
- The inquiry has also aired criticism of police and major contractors for failing to prevent escalation, the Federal Court issued an urgent injunction after the brawl, and the hearings will call about 30 witnesses this month to determine institutional accountability.