Corrupt CFMEU must be deregistered

The CFMEU has been found to be rife with thuggery, corruption and criminal behaviour.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a police camera hidden in the ceiling of the CFMEU’s Sydney office captured NSW construction union boss Darren Greenfield “being passed a $5000 bundle of cash as part of a suspected kickback deal”.

Further, reporting from The Age, 60 Minutes, and other Nine Network publications exposed startling revelations that the union has been deeply infiltrated by bikies, gangland and underworld criminal figures who had been parachuted into lucrative CFMEU positions on federal and state government projects.

However, despite overwhelming evidence that the militant union had been involved in violence, thuggery, intimidation and bullying, the Labor Government has shown itself to be weak willed by refusing to deregister the union.

Anthony Albanese has shown himself to be no Bob Hawke who was bold enough to deregister the rogue Builders Labourers Federation in 1986 after a Royal Commission into the union found that there was rampant crime and intimidation on its building sites.

Appointing an administrator is unlikely to have any long-term impact on the CFMEU. Indeed, even under administration the union can still act as a bargaining representative and once their period of administration is over, the CFMEU may simply return to their old practices.

Continuing to allow the CFMEU to hold our nation’s construction industry ransom increases the cost of building important infrastructure which the Australian taxpayer ultimately pays for, compounding the ever-increasing cost of living pressures for all Australians.

Indeed, Opposition analysis has previously revealed the CFMEU’s infiltration of the North-South Corridor project and new Women’s and Children’s Hospital project in South Australia, could see a $1.8 billion cost blowout.

In response, the Coalition is calling for the CFMEU to be deregistered and a new body established which respects law and order and works in the best interests of its members.

Labor should also legislate the former Coalition government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill of 2019, which Labor previously fought against. This Bill would introduce a range of measures to ensure registered organisations work for their members and not themselves.

It would give the court powers to disqualify officials of registered organisations that don’t act in the interest of members, have a history of breaking the law, or are otherwise not fit and proper to hold office in a registered organisation.

Penalties for breaches of the Fair Work Act need to be increased along with tightening the fit and proper person test for right of entry onto construction sites.

Importantly, the Coalition will bring a Bill to Parliament in August to legislate the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) to adequately regulate the industry with all the powers they had in the past, which Anthony Albanese proudly abolished at the behest of his union donors and political allies at the CFMEU.

It is unlikely that the Government will support the Coalition’s calls. Indeed, since Anthony Albanese became Labor leader, the Labor Party has received $6.2 million in donations from the CFMEU alone, including $4.3 million to help Labor win the last election. With the legality of the CFMEU now called into question, the Labor Party must do the right thing and immediately hand back all the money that has been donated to them by the union.