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
2GB Radio Sydney with Clinton Maynard
TOPICS: CFMEU, union corruption, construction industry
17 March 2025
E&OE
Clinton Maynard
The Coalition says Labor should be deregistering the CFMEU. We know the construction union is dominated by thugs as exposed by 60 Minutes last night. If you saw the report, it was quite frankly disturbing. The most disturbing scene was vision of a union thug wearing a union hoodie, and his back’s to the camera, and there is this bloke kicking somebody who’s on the ground, and you can hear her, her screams. You can’t see her, but you could hear the terror she was suffering as this… this animal kicks her while she’s on the ground, and as reported by Nick McKenzie on that 60 Minutes report last night, he was on his lunch break. Now the allegation here is that the CFMEU has so much power in the construction industry that they have some of their representatives, some of their delegates, going to sites, and maybe only for a few hours a week, but they’re being paid 1000s of dollars for their so called work. And the problem here is the industry has become so corrupt, we are the ones, taxpayers losing because these building sites are part of what’s called the big build in Victoria. They’re these huge infrastructure projects – major roadways, major trains. And while our state government taxes don’t fund what’s happening in Victoria, our Federal Government taxes do. So, it’s our money going into the back pockets of these union thugs. Well, Peter Dutton has spoken about this today.
Peter Dutton
This is a national enterprise, and this is why the Albanese government is corrupt to its core, because they facilitated, they’ve allowed this activity to prosper, and taxpayers ultimately have been ripped off to the tune of billions of dollars on major projects that are delayed by years. And when you look at what’s happening here in Victoria. There are classic examples that people can point to. They know that these projects have just dragged on and on and on, and the cost has escalated. And people have asked why this is? Because the Albanese and the Allan government have allowed this corruption to take place.
Clinton Maynard
It’s our money. It’s our taxpayers money going into the back pockets of the CFMEU going into the back pockets of bikies. Senator Michaelia Cash is the Shadow Workplace Relations Minister. Thank you for your time, Senator, what are you going to do if you win the election with the CFMEU?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, we are going to immediately deregister them. I mean, the latest revelation, and you’ve just run through them Clinton about the CFMEU brutality and its infiltration by organized crime. It just yet again, confirms what the Peter Dutton Coalition has been saying for months. The CFMEU in Australia is unreformable. I mean, I don’t know how much more our weak Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese needs to see. You have corruption, fear, violence, intimidation, bribery and stand over tactics. That is happening today on work sites, in particular here in Victoria. Bikies perpetrating domestic violence on job sites that is just completely reprehensible. You know, you’ve got cars are being torched on the streets because of the out of control CFMEU turf wars, and then the Victorian taxpayer Melbourne’s Metro tunnel, the North East Link. As you know, they have blown out by billions of dollars on Labor’s watch.
Clinton Maynard
And there’s Federal government money going into these projects also isn’t there? Like it’s our money also in Sydney?
Senator Cash
This is just it, in Sydney as well, while taxpayers are footing the bill. You know, Australian taxpayers, they pay up to 30% more for their Federally funded infrastructure. So you’re driving up the prices of hospitals, of schools, of roads, and ultimately you are driving up housing costs. And what does Mr. Albanese say today? It’s crickets. So we have announced strong action to clean up the construction industry, and it has four components. The first is immediate deregistration of the CFMEU, no more delays, no more weak administration processes. We will also restore the building industry watchdog. Guess what one of the first things Mr. Albanese did to pay his paymasters, the CFMEU, when he came into office? He abolished the tough building watchdog. We’ll also have an AFP led Task Force, but ultimately, we’re going to smash the business model of organized crime.
Clinton Maynard
And it is a business model, how you describe that’s actually spot on. But the government to their defense late last year, they put that union to administration. There are union leaders, both in Melbourne and Sydney, who have been put on the sidelines. Isn’t that at least a step in the right direction?
Senator Cash
No, that is the weakest possible response that could have been undertaken by Mr. Albanese. He has basically wanted to set and forget, hoping this will all go away. This administration, Clinton, is meant to be fixing things. Well, guess what? Last night, all we saw is corruption, fear, violence, intimidation, bribery, stand over tactics. They are running rampant on work sites in Australia.
Clinton Maynard
Your opposite number this afternoon, Murray Watt – he says what you have announced with Mr. Dutton is a reckless plan, it would hand back control of the union to the very criminals they’re beginning to remove.
Senator Cash
That is a total joke, and quite frankly, I would expect nothing less from Murray Watt. We have made it very, very clear that if you have engaged in unlawful behavior, you will be banned from going anywhere near a registered organization or exercising any form of right on a work site for life.
Clinton Maynard
Just lastly Michaelia, they’re not accepting money from this union anymore, are they, the Labor Party?
Senator Cash
Well, let’s just say that they’ve accepted so much they accept, you know…
Clinton Maynard
But they don’t anymore, do they? I know they don’t in New South Wales.
Senator Cash
The question now is this – so the $11.5 million – why won’t Labor give it back or at least give it to charity? $11.5 million since Mr. Albanese became the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the Labor Party in opposition, $11.5 million in financial and election campaign support from the CFMEU. The question I had for Mr. Albanese is, why?
Clinton Maynard
Good question. It’s dirty money. Thank you for your time Senator.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you. Bye.
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