Is the CFMEU Behind Mass Immigration?
I’ve always argued that mass immigration primarily benefits large corporations. It expands their customer base - driving higher revenues - while also increasing the supply of labour, which helps keep wages down.
By that logic, you’d expect unions to oppose it. A larger labour pool means more competition for jobs, putting downward pressure on wages, while increased population drives up demand for housing and essential goods - pushing living costs higher.
That’s why the stance of the ACTU has always seemed contradictory. Instead of resisting high immigration, they partner with big business in supporting it.
One possible explanation is the influence of construction-focused unions like the CFMEU and unions representing plumbers and electricians. Strong population growth fuels demand for housing, high-rise developments, and major infrastructure projects - sectors where these unions are heavily concentrated. More projects mean more jobs, more bargaining power, and more opportunities for kickbacks.
From that perspective, their support becomes more understandable. Policies that drive population growth don’t just expand the overall economy - they specifically boost demand in construction, even if the broader effects on wages and cost of living are less favourable for workers outside that sector.
Whether that fully explains the ACTU’s position is open to debate, but it does help reconcile what otherwise looks like a contradiction between union incentives and the economic effects of large-scale immigration.
If you look at the major donors to the Australian Labor Party since 2014, the list is dominated by big business and unions, with the CFMEU and plumbing and electrical unions ranking among the top contributors.
The CFMEU donated $1.974 million to the Australian Labor Party ahead of the 2022 election. Soon after Labor’s win, the government scrapped the federal building code and weakened the Australian Building and Construction Commission before abolishing it later that year. It also lifted the permanent migration cap to 195,000 - up 35,000. Coincidence? You decide.