Four months after it was announced, Queensland’s Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU and Misconduct in the Construction Industry will hear from its first witnesses on Tuesday.

The first hearing block at the Brisbane Magistrates Court will run until Thursday and was expected to call four witnesses – CFMEU investigator Geoffrey Watson, construction worker Timothy Ellis, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland compliance and field services executive director Sarina Wise and the union’s government-appointed administrator, Mark Irving.

While the inquiry has barely started, already it has not been smooth sailing. Late last month, four senior counsel assisting and three junior barristers resigned over concerns about its operations.

CFMEU members protesting the union being forced into adminis

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