Queensland does not want to end up like Victoria.
In a rare public move echoing Queensland's landmark Fitzgerald inquiry of the 1980s, a sitting corruption commissioner stepped outside a Gold Coast business address this week to ask the community whether a traffic control company carries ties to Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto. The question is not merely about one small firm — it is about whether the patterns of organised crime that quietly shaped Victoria's construction industry might find new soil in Queensland as $130 billion in Olympic spending approaches. A young director insists his venture is his own, begun only days before scrutiny arrived, while the inquiry reminds us that the cost of looking away is always paid later.
- For the first time since the Fitzgerald era, a Queensland inquiry commissioner held a live public appeal outside an active business, signalling that authorities consider the organised crime risk urgent enough to forgo quiet investigation.
- The structural resemblance between M1 Traffic Control and a Victorian firm already linked to Mick Gatto through a damning report set off alarm bells — especially given that the Queensland director shares a surname with a man named as Gatto's frontman across dozens of companies.
- Jordan Paragalli, who confirms Tony Paragalli is his father, says he has been operating independently in Queensland for just 15 days and had no contact from the inquiry before it went public with its concerns.
- The public appeal has already inflicted collateral damage — Paragalli warns the exposure threatens not only his fledgling business but neighbouring companies caught in the background of the inquiry's media conference.
- With a final report due in July and $130 billion in construction ahead, Queensland authorities are drawing a deliberate line: the state will not allow the infiltration that cost Victoria so dearly to quietly repeat itself under Olympic pressure.
A Queensland corruption inquiry took the extraordinary step this week of holding a public media conference outside a Gold Coast business address, asking the community whether a traffic control company operating there had links to Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto. It was the first time since the Fitzgerald inquiry of the late 1980s that a sitting Queensland commissioner had made such an appeal while an investigation remained open.
Commissioner Stuart Wood's inquiry, through senior counsel Patrick Wheelahan, drew pointed comparisons between M1 Traffic Control's corporate structure and that of M Group — a Victorian firm Geoffrey Watson's "Rotting from the Top" report had connected to Gatto, finding he had received "inexplicable favouritism" from the CFMEU worth tens of millions of dollars. The Queensland director of M1, Jordan David Paragalli, shares a surname with Tony Paragalli, whom Watson named as a Gatto frontman and dummy director across at least 28 companies.
Wheelahan framed the inquiry's urgency plainly: with roughly $130 billion in construction spending expected ahead of the 2032 Olympics, Queensland could not afford to replicate Victoria's experience. The inquiry, he said, had the backing of Queensland police and broad enough terms of reference to justify seeking public information about potential organised crime infiltration.
Jordan Paragalli — who confirmed Tony Paragalli is his father — rejected the allegations outright. He told reporters he was the sole operator of the Queensland venture, had no connection to Gatto or Victorian corruption, and had only been operating in the state for 15 days, with his business signs posted just two days before the inquiry went public. He was emphatic that the Queensland operation carried no CFMEU link whatsoever.
Paragalli also challenged the inquiry's conduct, saying officials made no attempt to contact him before going public, and warned that the reputational damage would harm not only his business but neighbouring companies sharing the same address. Commissioner Wood acknowledged that no findings had been made against the Queensland operation and that it was entitled to procedural fairness, while leaving open the possibility of further public appeals. The final report is due in July.
A Queensland corruption inquiry took the unusual step of holding a public media conference outside a Gold Coast business address this week, directly questioning whether a traffic control company operating there had ties to Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto. The move marked the first time since Queensland's Fitzgerald inquiry into political corruption in the late 1980s that a sitting commissioner had made such a public appeal while an investigation was still underway.
The inquiry, led by Commissioner Stuart Wood, focused on M1 Traffic Control's Queensland operation. Senior counsel assisting Patrick Wheelahan drew parallels between the company's corporate structure and that of M Group, a Victorian traffic control firm that Geoffrey Watson's "Rotting from the Top" report had linked to Gatto. Watson's investigation found that Gatto had enjoyed what it called "inexplicable favouritism" from the CFMEU through M Group, an arrangement that generated tens of millions of dollars. The Queensland director of M1 Traffic Control was identified as Jordan David Paragalli—the same surname as Tony Paragalli, whom Watson's report had named as a frontman for Gatto, serving as a dummy director for at least 28 companies across security, transport, hotels, and telecommunications.
Wheelahan explained the inquiry's reasoning at the media conference. With roughly $130 billion in construction spending expected in Queensland ahead of the 2032 Olympics, he said, the state could not afford to repeat Victoria's experience. "Queensland does not want to end up like Victoria," he stated. The inquiry, he added, was supported by Queensland police and had broad terms of reference that justified seeking public information about potential organized crime infiltration of the construction sector.
Jordan Paragalli, who confirmed that Tony Paragalli is his father, flatly rejected the allegations. He told the Australian Associated Press that he was the sole operator of the Queensland venture and had "absolutely nothing to do" with Gatto or any Victorian corruption. He noted that his business signs had been posted just two days before the inquiry's public appeal, and that he had been operating in Queensland for only 15 days. "This is a separate venture, and yeah, while it's under the same banner, it's a completely separate venture with no CFMEU link to it or anything like that," he said.
Paragalli also objected to the manner in which the inquiry had proceeded. He claimed that officials had made "absolutely no attempt" to contact him before making their public allegations, and he expressed concern about the damage the inquiry's actions would cause to his business and to other businesses sharing the same address. "This is going to cause detrimental damage to my business and the associated businesses as well that are on the same block because they would have been advertised in the background," he said. He questioned who would pay his costs if he was forced to relocate back to Melbourne as a result of the reputational harm.
Commissioner Wood acknowledged that no findings had yet been made against M1 Traffic Control's Queensland operation, and he stated that the company was entitled to procedural fairness. However, he did not rule out further public appeals as the inquiry continued. The final report is due in July. The Queensland CFMEU, for its part, told the press it had no connection to the M1 group. The inquiry's decision to go public with its questions—rather than pursue them quietly—signals how seriously authorities are treating the possibility that organized crime networks might attempt to embed themselves in Queensland's construction sector as Olympic-related spending accelerates.
Citações Notáveis
This is a separate venture, and yeah, while it's under the same banner, it's a completely separate venture with no CFMEU link to it or anything like that.— Jordan Paragalli, M1 Traffic Control Queensland director
Queensland does not want to end up like Victoria.— Patrick Wheelahan, senior counsel assisting the inquiry
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would an inquiry commissioner hold a public media conference while an investigation is still active? Isn't that unusual?
Extremely. The last time a Queensland commissioner did this was during the Fitzgerald inquiry in the late 1980s. The reasoning here is that they're looking for information from the public—people who might know something about the company's operations or connections. With $130 billion in Olympic construction spending coming, they're trying to catch potential organized crime infiltration early.
But doesn't that put the company at a disadvantage? They haven't been found guilty of anything.
That's exactly what Jordan Paragalli argued. He said the inquiry made no attempt to contact him privately before going public, and now his business is damaged. The commissioner did acknowledge that no findings have been made and that the company is entitled to procedural fairness. But the damage to reputation may already be done.
What's the actual connection to Mick Gatto?
The connection is structural and circumstantial. A Victorian traffic control company called M Group was found to have received inexplicable favoritism from the CFMEU, and Gatto was linked to it. The Queensland company has a similar corporate structure, and the director's father was identified in the Watson report as a dummy director for dozens of companies. But Paragalli says this is a completely separate operation he started 15 days ago.
Do we know if he's telling the truth?
Not yet. That's what the inquiry is trying to find out. The fact that he's only been operating for two weeks and claims no connection to his father's past dealings is either entirely legitimate or a fresh start designed to look legitimate. The inquiry wants public information to help answer that question.
What happens next?
The inquiry continues, with a final report due in July. The commissioner hasn't ruled out more public appeals. If they find evidence of organized crime links, Queensland's construction sector could face serious consequences. If they find nothing, Paragalli's business will have been publicly damaged for nothing.