Long-serving union secretary Michael O’Connor is facing a court-sanctioned ban as a super fund director after APRA sued him last year.
Long-serving union secretary Michael O’Connor has denied misusing his position as co-chair of a $4.5 billion superannuation fund to bankroll the cash-strapped manufacturing division of the CFMEU, as he defended his conduct on the board of First Super.
In his defence filed with the Federal Court in December, O’Connor said he had recused himself from First Super board members over the contract and that he had never spoken to other board members about the contract extension. APRA has alleged O’Connor appointed a union delegate, referred to in court documents as BT, to a full-time role as MESC coordinator at First Super in March 2020 to form “part of her role as … organiser for the union”. During that time, the manufacturing division of the union was “experiencing financial difficulties, and considering redundancies for some of its employees”, the regulator told the Federal Court.
He also disputed APRA’s evidence that the union sent a $125,000 invoice to First Super on March 10, 2020, claiming the fee sought was $31,262.89.
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