Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
TRANSCRIPT
Interview with Oliver Peterson, 6PR
Monday 15 July 2024
E&OE
Topic: CFMEU
OP: The stories in the Nine newspaper group, SMH, The Age, WA Today and who 60 Minutes last night about the serious issues with the CFMEU’s Victorian branch. We’re talking about connections to bikies, to organized criminals, intimidation and allegations of corruption. As a result when questions were asked late last week, John Setka, all of a sudden quits – gone – one of the most thuggish union officials in Australia, gone. Now the CFMEU Victorian branch has now been placed under administration by the national office. And the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese he’s tried to distance himself as far away as possible from anything going on at the Union.
This morning, you may have heard Zack Smith, the national leader of the CFMEU defending John Setka with Gary right here on 6PR.
Michaelia Cash now the Shadow Minister for Employment Workplace Relations and shadow Attorney General. Good afternoon.
MC: Good afternoon, Ollie. Good afternoon to your listeners.
OP: So the Prime Minister and the Government really trying to distance themselves from the CFMEU. Can they do that?
MC: Well, words are cheap when it comes to the Prime Minister. Let’s look at the actions. The first thing they did when they were elected to office is abolish the tough cop on the beat the Australian Building and Construction Commission. We told them at the time is going to be devastating for the construction industry and quite frankly, it’s been even worse than expected. We now have organized crime figures and bikies running rampant on our nation’s building sites. So quite frankly, it’s Mr. Albanese’s weak leadership that’s enabled the out of control CFMEU to reach the point that we are now at.
OP: Zach Smith talking to Gary Adshead earlier today here on 6PR said any of those donations and there’s millions of dollars going from the CFMEU to the Albanese government. All that money is clean Senator cash?
MC: Well, that’s good to know. Then let’s have an investigation into the money trail, because they clearly have nothing to worry about. So I welcome Zach’s comments, because that means he will support an investigation into the money trail because quite frankly, there was a question over some of that money, possibly being proceeds of crime. There needs to be a full investigation into the money trail, and if Zach is so confident, then guess what? He has nothing to fear. So Zach I challenge you to stand up today and support an investigation into the money trail because Australians deserve answers.
OP: Bikies, organized criminals, intimidation, corruption, some of the allegations out of Victoria today – is that spread across the CFMEU across borders across the nation, Senator Cash?
MC: Look, it’s been going on for years, the appalling behavior of the CFMEU which includes the violence, the thuggery, the intimidation and the bullying. This has been known by the Australian Labor Party for years. And quite frankly, it is time that this union is deregistered. They have made it clear over a number of years, they’ve got no intention of changing their ways. And they need to start again. I’ve seen the announcements that you know, part of the union is going to be put into administration, well quite frankly, that is that’s an excuse. Having a different part of the union, administer the Victorian construction branch is not going to solve a problem. But again, words cheap with Labor. What they need to do is on day one, when the Parliament returns in August, is pass the legislation to restore the tough cop on the beat, the Australian Building a Construction Commission. And I challenge Mr. Albanese and Mr. Burke. The coalition will stand ready, willing and able to pass this legislation. The ball is now in their court. It’s all words at the moment. I am not seeing any actions just excuses. We said it was going to be bad. It’s been worse than expected. So that’s the challenge for them the first day back, let’s restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission. And on top of that, let’s put in place the former Coalition Government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill, which Labor fought against every step of the way Let’s have a look at what actions they put in place Ollie.
OP: And for Australian taxpayers – the moms and dads the grand mums and dads who forked out and waited years and years and years for projects to be completed- do they know if this was an inflationary environment? How much more money was required to pay for these big national projects?
MC: You hit the nail on the head Ollie. Ultimately, it’s all about what Australian taxpayers had to pay because of the protection racket run by Mr Albanese and Mr. Burke and the Australian Labor Party. Because of the CFMEU and their actions Australian taxpayers have paid more in terms of the cost of building important infrastructure. So for example, roads, schools, hospitals. The Master Builders Association a few years ago, had estimated that because of the actions of the CFMEU Australians were paying 30% more. And guess what? Mr Albanese and Mr. Burke – they turned a blind eye. But worse than that, they defended the CFMEU and they fought the Coalition Government, the former Coalition Government every step of the way. Mr. Albanese doesn’t care – $6.2 million has gone from the CFMEU to the Australian Labor Party since Mr. Albanese became leader. Money talks and quite frankly, you know, they have shown absolute cowardice when it comes to dealing with the CFMEU
OP: The ABCC is one thing. Is there a need for an inquiry or possibly even a Royal Commission into the functions of the CFMEU?
MC: Well, again let’s look at what we can do now Ollie. Because the Coalition had a Royal Commission in the past. We’ve known about this behavior. We took action. We put in place the ABCC. Every other action that we wanted to take the Labor Party thwarted. So quite frankly, enough is enough. But the first thing we need to do is Mr Albanese needs to give back the $6.2 million. We then need to have an investigation into the money trail to ensure that not one cent of that is proceeds of crime. We need to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission. I’ve said we will help the Labor Party do that on day one. When we return to the Parliament in August, we should legislate also, the Coalition Governments Ensuring Integrity Bill of 2019 which I remind your listeners Labor fought tooth and nail against at that time. We also though, need to ensure that penalties for breaches of the Fair Work Act they need to be increased. The fit and proper person test for right of entry onto construction sites – it needs to be tightened. I mean people with multiple criminal offenses should never be granted right of entry permits. And yet the Labor Party has sat back for years and defended the actions of the CFMEU. So as I said unfortunately, I mean Mr. Albanese for years now has shown craven cowardness and weakness. When he came into government he gave Mr. Setka everything he wanted. They were wilfully blind to his militant action for years. And you know, to sum it up quite frankly as always with Labor – money talks, and principal has no place. But ultimately it’s the Australian people who pay for this.
OP: Senator Cash, thanks for your time.
MC: Great to be with you Ollie.
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