Labor loses vote on CFMEU administration

Laws to grant ministerial power to place the construction arm of the CFMEU into administration aren’t coming in any time soon after Labor failed to get its bill passed in the Senate on Thursday (15 August).

The Federal Government introduced “urgent” legislation to force the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union to accept an administrator after the union failed to accept the invitation to do it itself.

Allegations of bullying, intimidation and criminal behaviour by some CFMEU officials, as aired in recent media reports, have sparked the government to take action against the union.

A number of Labor state and federal governments took immediate action to suspend the party’s affiliation with the construction division of the union and to expel some members.

Federally this week, Labor thought it had struck a deal with the opposition by agreeing to a number of concessions in its legislation, but it all unravelled during one of the more heated debates the Senate has seen for some time.

The government tried to fast-track the legislation by bringing on a vote after the Senate’s question time, but the Coalition was having none of it.

Neither could Labor find support from the Greens, who insist the legislation needs further committee scrutiny.

It was the second consecutive day Labor pushed to have the bill voted on.

The vote finally went down 41 to 23.

The government accused the opposition of dirty politicking on the issue and tried to label the Coalition as sudden new friends of John Setka, the union’s controversial former Victorian branch secretary, and corrupt officials.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong directed her anger towards Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash.

“There are only two sorts of people who want this legislation delayed,” Senator Wong said before the vote.

“They are the lawyers and certain officials in the CFMEU and members of the Liberal and National parties in the Senate, led by Senator Cash … The industry cannot afford continued uncertainty. This bill should be passed today without further delay.

“We know what is happening in the CFMEU. It’s time to ditch the politics and do what the employers are asking for.”

But the opposition’s Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, said the government should embrace the amendments put forward by Senator Cash that included a three-year term for the administration, reporting to the parliament, and the banning of political donations.

“This bill can pass today if you agree to clean up your pathetic, inadequate and weak effort in terms of addressing the CFMEU,” Senator Birmingham said.

“It can pass today if you accept the very reasonable conditions that Senator Cash and the Coalition have put to you … you’ve been dragged kicking and screaming to improve the bill thanks to Senator Cash’s amendments.”

After the vote went down, Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt told reporters that the government had, in fact, met all of the opposition’s demands.

“It still wasn’t enough, and for that reason, John Setka and organised crime are still able to do whatever they want on construction sites,” Senator Watt said.

During the debate, however, he said the legislation already provided for the administrator to stop political donations, but it was “untenable” to demand that the administrator appear before the parliament for scrutiny.

“She [Senator Cash] wants the ability to haul them into committee rooms in a Senate Estimates hearing and play political football,” he said.

Independent Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie blasted both the Coalition and the Greens for not supporting the government’s bill and said the opposition’s amendments had gone too far.

“Right now, John Setka is sitting out there with his new tattoo on his bean bag, and he’s got his popcorn out, and he’s got a whole new cheer squad – they’re called the Liberal Party,” Senator Lambie said.

“Both the Liberals and the Greens are playing politics over people’s lives. It is absolutely shameful.”