Former CFMEU boss John Setka. Anthony Albanese said he only had “contempt for someone like John Setka” and that he had “no legitimate role” in the union movement. Photo: CFMEU.
The Federal Government has put the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) on notice, with Anthony Albanese saying nothing is off the table as far as how to deal with the union amid serious allegations of corruption.
The Prime Minister said his government will take “whatever action is appropriate” following a media investigation alleging underworld figures had infiltrated the CFMEU on building projects in Victoria and NSW.
“I have a very clear message for the CFMEU, which is that they need to clean up their act. I have zero tolerance for it,” Mr Albanese said.
“The revelations that have been made in recent days need to be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“The job of a union is to defend the wages and conditions of their members, to make sure as well on building sites – the construction industry is a dangerous industry – we want people to go home at night to their families and unions have an important role to play there.
“What this is is a betrayal of those union members. If there are any breaches of the law, they need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent, and people need to be held to account.”
The union’s former Victorian boss, John Setka, quit the CFMEU on Friday (12 July) but denied any wrongdoing.
“These stories have been constant, and while I’ve been the target of many of them, enough is enough,” Mr Setka said in a statement.
“The ongoing false allegations continually do nothing but harm the work this great union does for its members.”
On Monday, however, Mr Albanese said he only had “contempt for someone like John Setka” and that he had “no legitimate role” in the union movement.
He said Mr Setka’s departure was only the beginning of what has to happen to clean up the union.
“We’ll look at what action we can take and nothing is off the table. We will take whatever action is appropriate,” the Prime Minister said during a media interview.
“But where there are breaches of the law, such as people offering bribes, those people need to be prosecuted by the law. That’s not a political decision, that’s a legal one.
“That’s one that requires people to be in the dock, frankly. And if they’re engaged in that behaviour, they need to be prosecuted fully and we certainly support that.”
When asked if the construction division of the union might be deregistered and if Labor would refuse to accept the massive funding donations from the CFMEU in light of the allegations, the Prime Minister simply stated, “Well, everything’s possible”, without being drawn further.
He did, however, flag tough measures in train to act against the union’s behaviour.
“What we will see over coming days is further revelations. I don’t want to pre-empt those and spoil the hard work that’s gone into this research,” Mr Albanese said.
“No doubt there will be further revelations which have been foreshadowed. But what already has been exposed is shocking, inappropriate, are breaches of the law, and the full force of the law needs to be brought to bear because it is tragic that overwhelmingly, the people who are working on construction sites around Australia are hard-working Australians.
“They shouldn’t be tainted by this sort of corrupt behaviour.”
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke won’t rule out deregistering the CFMEU’s construction division.
He said he was seeking advice from his department as to whether he had the authority to do that.
“I’m making sure the advice to me puts everything on the table with a very clear signal to the union about what’s expected. If they don’t act, I will,” Mr Burke said.
“People need to know that the criminal element needs to be gone, needs to be gone very quickly, and I am ready to act.
“In the advice I’ve sought from the department, I want to be absolutely clear (that) everything is on the table.
“I’ve put the union absolutely on notice today [Friday].”
Asked about it during a media event in Canberra on Monday, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten described the behaviour shown on the TV investigation as “deplorable” and “unacceptable”.
“Worst of all, it’s a betrayal of Australian trade unionists … there is no doubt there is a culture in some parts of the construction sector that is out of control,” Mr Shorten said
“Watch this space. There’s more to come from the Federal Government.”
The Victorian branch of the CFMEU is being placed into administration, with the national office assuming its executive powers.
National Secretary Zach Smith said the allegations will be independently investigated.
“The CFMEU has zero tolerance for criminality and anyone found to have engaged in criminal conduct while representing the CFMEU will be identified and removed,” Mr Smith said.
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