Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
15 AUGUST 2024
GOVERNMENT’S HEAD IN THE SAND ON CFMEU LEGISLATION
The Albanese Labor Government is hiding from the fact their CFMEU legislation is too weak to bring the rogue union under control.
Minister Murray Watt has put his head in the sand and refuses to budge on key Coalition amendments that would greatly strengthen the Bill and that stakeholders have made clear will make the scheme more robust.
Minister Watt has made it clear:
- He does not want the Administrator accountable to the Parliament through the Senate Estimates process.
- He does not want a minimum period of administration, which means certain CFMEU branches may return to business as usual very quickly. Without a minimum period there is a risk of safe haven jurisdictions popping up from which corruption and criminality can take hold.
- He does not want a ban on the CFMEU making donations to Labor or running pro-Labor political campaigns
These are the key measures that will strengthen this weak legislation and the Labor Government is running away from them.
This Bill will come back into the Senate next week and I urge the Government to vote for our amendments.
The irony is that despite claims the legislation should be rushed through the Parliament with little scrutiny the scheme to administer the rogue union is not ready to go.
It has become clear during negotiations over amendments to the Bill that the scheme has not been completed.
The only way the CFMEU can be administered is for the scheme of administration to be in place.
The scheme is the most vital part of the puzzle in which the Minister will set out the parameters of the administration.
The powers of the administrator can’t be exercised without the scheme.
All the huffing and puffing from Minister Murray Watt about ramming this Bill through this week is merely for show.
This whole mess is of Labor’s making and they want to rush through a quick fix which is not fit for purpose.
The Coalition repeats its calls for the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the passing of the former Coalition Government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill, which Labor has voted against.
ENDS
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