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
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News – Credlin
16 September 2024
TOPICS: Albanese knowledge of CFMEU revelations, CFMEU whistleblower, ABC doctored audio
E&OE
Peta Credlin
Shadow Attorney-General, Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations, Michaelia Cash. Well it’s shocking, the ABC admitting its doctored audio. We’re still not clear if it was done intentionally. Michaelia, but we cannot have the ABC here investigate themselves yet again. Surely, there’s got to be an independent inquiry?
Senator Cash
Well Peta, shocking scandal, and quite frankly, heads should roll. And if the ABC tries to throw a low level producer or a low level editor under the bus that won’t be good enough. Responsibility for this type of content – it goes right up the chain when it comes to these types of shows. So this will be a test for the new chairman, Kim Williams. I hope he is demanding answers from management. They need to stand up in front of the Australian people and explain what, when, where, why, how. But most importantly Peta who, and in that regard, Senate estimates is going to be a very, very interesting estimate in a few weeks time.
Peta Credlin
We will watch that closely. Let’s go to the government. There was a huge story today. CFMEU whistleblower Andrew Quirk revealing he personally warned Anthony Albanese back in 2014 about potential links between the union and organised crime. Quirk was out on radio this morning, Radio 2GB in Sydney. Here’s a little bit of what he had to say.
Luke Grant
Wasn’t there great concern from the PM then?
Andrew Quirk
Mate, it was a 10 minute meeting. Guy, I felt that it was a hot potato, and I was a hot potato. I mean, you know.
Luke Grant
Did you, did you witness, Andrew? Did you witness some of this behavior? Or were you told by confidants in the in the CFMEU. How did your attention?
Andrew Quirk
I was subject to it.
Peta Credlin
Have picked that up at home. That was Luke Grant there obviously not Ray Hadley, the Prime Minister reckons he didn’t know anything about this. The first he knew was when Channel Nine reports came out. But Quirk there is very clear. He reckons he told the Prime Minister, and he is himself a former CFMEU organizer?
Senator Cash
And that’s exactly right Peta, the Prime Minister of Australia, has very, very serious questions to answer. I mean, he acted surprised in July of this year, when the allegations were yet again, made public, he told the Australian people he’d only just learned about the criminality, the control by underworld figures in the CFMEU. And yet, now we have a CFMEU whistleblower who has put his name to the story in the front page of The Australian, clearly detailing a meeting he had with Mr. Albanese in 2014 where he raised these concerns. So again, Mr. Albanese needs to stand up in front of the Australian people and say, I mean, is Mr. Quirk? Is he misleading the Australian people? I don’t think so, which can only mean one thing again, the Prime Minister, yet again, has serious questions to answer. Do I think he’s going to answer those questions Peta? No, because, let’s face it, he backs the CFMEU in every single step of the way.
Peta Credlin
Just quickly this report. It’s an interim report by Jeffrey Watson SC, this is about the Victorian branch. He talks about a cycle of lawlessness, violence being an accepted part of a culture. He talks about bikies still operating on taxpayer funded building sites in Victoria. I mean, what on earth is going to change with administration, Senator?
Senator Cash
In relation to the issues you’ve raised, possibly nothing, but Mr. Albanese couldn’t care less. He abolished the ABCC at the behest of John Setka and the CFMEU. Since he became Labor leader, $6.2 million has flowed directly from the CFMEU to the Australian Labor Party. We have two bills currently in the Senate, the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, and a bill which would allow criminals to be taken off construction sites in Australia permanently. But guess what? The Labor Party, Peta, won’t be supporting either of them, because ultimately, they don’t care. They are still basically being controlled by the CFMEU. And as I said, it is little wonder, given the money they have got for years and years and years. They have effectively condoned, and in fact, facilitated the behavior we have seen on construction sites.
Peta Credlin
Senator Cash, thank you.
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