Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News – The Kenny Report
TOPICS: CFMEU, union corruption
17 March 2025
E&OE
Chris Kenny
Now the construction union, the CFMEU, is back in the spotlight after another 60 Minute story exposing violence against women, including a disturbing video of a health and safety representative assaulting a woman while on his lunch break, and a warning, this is pretty confronting and distressing stuff.
[Footage of Shocking CFMEU Behavior]
Chris Kenny
Yeah, shocking stuff, and there’s plenty more on alleged extortion and rorts. The Coalition has called on Labor to deregister the union. Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash summarized the concerns.
Senator Cash
Well, there’s no two ways about it, Chris organised crime in Australia now basically have infiltrated the CFMEU. They run building sites across Australia and ultimately, do you know who pays the price? That would be Mum and Dad Australia for infrastructure projects, Australians are paying up to 30 per cent more because the CFMEU has been infiltrated by organized crime. So your hospitals, your roads, your schools and even your houses, Australians are paying a premium for them because of the actions of the criminal elements of the CFMEU. And what do we say Chris? Enough is enough. We have got to clean up this industry once and for all, unlike our weak and insipid Prime Minister, who is beholden to them.
Chris Kenny
Well, this is the extraordinary thing, because we’ve seen this happen before. We’ve seen the Coalition clean it up before, because you’ve had the Australian Building and Construction Commission, but Labor’s gotten rid of that. So they’ve obviously decided that this was a clean industry. You don’t need this oversight. Obviously we do.
Senator Cash
What a complete joke. Mr. Albanese has been and continues to be beholden to the CFMEU. As you know, since Mr. Albanese became the Opposition Leader of the Australian Labor Party, they have received, the Australian Labor Party under him, $11.5 million whether in donations directly from the CFMEU or electoral assistance. So, Mr. Albanese, there is a reason he has taken weak action against them, because he is beholden to them. I mean, Chris, one of the first actions of the Albanese government was to abolish the tough cop on the beat, the Australian Building and Construction Commission. They had been successful in holding the CFMEU to account, and in fact, in relation to the courts, they had succeeded in over 90% of the prosecutions they brought against the CFMEU. They were able to achieve penalties against the CFMEU of in excess of $17 million dollars. What does Mr. Albanese do? He pays his pay masters. He gets rid of the building regulator, but at the expense to Mum and Dad Australia, as I said, who are paying because of the weak leadership of Anthony Albanese, 30% more for their federally funded – infrastructure, schools, hospitals, roads. What a joke.
Chris Kenny
Yeah well, that’s one aspect of it, one very important aspect of it. This increases the cost of all construction in the country. But there’s also allegations of drug running and organized crime and assaults of people and abuse of people.
Senator Cash
And this is just it.
Chris Kenny
It’s terrible stuff.
Senator Cash
Yep.
Chris Kenny
But the thing is, here that the Labor Party, we know they have the CFMEU on their national executive. They’re directly linked to it through donations and the like,
Senator Cash
Yes.
Chris Kenny
But they say that they’re taking action. Here’s the Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan. Let’s have a look at what she had to say today.
Jacinta Allan
We moved quickly last year, with a zero tolerance approach to this bullying intimidatory and allegations of illegal behavior. It is why. It is why, amongst a range of actions, we referred these allegations to IBAC, to Victoria Police.
Chris Kenny
Yes. So they say they refer it on, but you will deregister the union, the Coalition if you come back. You will bring back the Building and Construction Commission. What else is required right now? What should Anthony Albanese and Jacinta Allan do right now?
Senator Cash
So we have made it clear, Peter Dutton, James Paterson and I, that we will work with the government, the Parliament sits next week to bring in the legislation to immediately deregister the CFMEU. They have now shown they are not fit to be a union and represent people in this country but also this has got to be comprehensive legislation so that any member of the CFMEU that has been involved in law-breaking can never hold office in a registered organization again, and can never, ever go and exercise any powers on a work site. They need to be finished off once and for all. They also need to immediately restore the tough cop on the beat, the building industry regulator. But on top of that, we have said you need to smash the business model of organized crime, and Peter Dutton has said he will work with Anthony Albanese to actually put through the Parliament next week the tough RICO-style laws that are used in the United States that have been successful over many decades now in taking down the mafia, enough is enough. We have to stand up to organized crime in this country. Peter Dutton will do it. We need to smash their business model and actually hold the kingpins and the bosses in these organized crime organizations to account.
Chris Kenny
Michaelia Cash, thanks so much for joining us.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you.
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