Australia's competition watchdog will probe allegations of cartel conduct in Canberra's construction industry as the royal commission heard further allegations of price-fixing in the scaffolding sector.
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Thursday was the final day of three weeks of public hearings of Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption in the capital, with private hearings to take place on Friday.
The turbulent three weeks has seen three men – including two union officials – arrested amid allegations of bribery, blackmail, stand-over and intimidation tactics, and the promotion of cartels by the ACT branch of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union's Canberra.
But Canberra construction union officials will have to wait weeks to tell their side of the story at further commission hearings in Sydney.
Counsel assisting Jeremy Stoljar told the inquiry on Thursday that the examination of CFMEU representatives, including ACT branch secretary Dean Hall, "will take place in the last week of August or the first week of September".
On Thursday, the royal commission heard more allegations of price fixing in the Canberra scaffolding industry, as well as claims the CFMEU ran a "dictatorship".
Bernardo Da Silva told the hearing his former company Rovera Scaffolding would have faced "endless headaches" if he didn't agree to an enterprise bargaining agreement or make all his workers union members.
If he had instead dealt with the Master Builders Association on an agreement the union would have slowed down jobs using their "main attack" of finding safety issues on his sites.
Like other scaffolders, Mr Da Silva told the commission the idea of setting minimum prices for jobs was discussed at EBA negotiations in 2013.
The CFMEU's legal team, led by John Agius, repeatedly put it to witnesses that any discussion of price was simply what was needed to cover the EBA, not what they should charge.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Thursday said it was aware of "serious allegations and evidence" presented to the royal commission.
Chairman Rod Sims said the alleged conduct mainly concerned the capital's concreting and scaffolding industries.
"Cartel conduct such as price fixing, anti-competitive agreements and attempts to bring about collusive arrangements are matters of grave concern to the ACCC," Mr Sims said.
"The ACCC will be looking closely at the allegations. Our inquires will be conducted by the specialist team we have recently established to look at similar allegations in the construction industry arising from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption."
Under the Competition and Consumer Act there are civil and criminal penalties for cartel conduct.
The ACCC said it did not generally comment on its investigations but "considered it was appropriate in this case due to the public nature of the allegations".
The concerns come after a third witness of the royal commission was arrested in Canberra Wednesday night.
Tuungafasi Manase indicated he would fight allegations of perjury when he appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.
His arrest comes a fortnight after former Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union organiser Halafihi "Fihi" Kivalu was arrested after giving evidence at the commission. He has since been released on bail after pleading not guilty to two counts of blackmail.
Last week former Canberra Raiders rugby league player and construction union head John Lomax was arrested and charged with blackmail.
Mr Sims urged anyone with information about the allegations to call 9230 3894 or email cartelimmunity@accc.gov.au.
