Federal minister and former union boss Bill Shorten says the union movement has a once-in-a-generation chance to “straighten things out” after the crisis which has enveloped the CFMEU.
It follows explosive reports by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes alleging criminal activity by parts of the union.
Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka resigned on Friday before publication of the first in a series of stories by this masthead about close ties between the Victorian and NSW divisions of the construction union and underworld figures and bikie gangs.
When asked by ABC Melbourne’s Ali Moore whether the revelations about the CFMEU shocked him, Shorten replied, “some of them do”.
Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, Bill Shorten.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“Trade unionists, the vast bulk of them, are honest, law-abiding people, and so are most of their representatives,” he said. “But the idea that anyone in the trade union movement is operating with bikies and criminals, that betrays the whole ideal of Australian trade unionism.”
Prior to entering politics, Shorten was the national secretary of the Australian Worker’s Union. He said the investigation into the CFMEU would mean the “status quo is going to be questioned pretty severely”.
There’s an opportunity here to straighten things out, which might be a once-in-a-generation opportunity. And I say that on the basis that unions have a role in workplaces to to get their members, you know, better safety and better conditions.
But you can’t do it using middle men and hack gangsters.
Maybe it’s been a long time coming, but there’s an opportunity for the trade union movement to say, ‘Hey, there is standard we will accept, and there’s a red line we won’t cross.’
Shorten said the rules for unions were simple: “Don’t break the law, don’t ask for kickbacks, don’t engage with bikies”.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of every allegation, and I don’t want to start prejudicing every matter. But on the other hand, something’s not right here in the construction industry… and I think ordinary people know this,” he said.
In response to a call from Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black for a judicial inquiry, Shorten said what was needed was “actual action”.
“For everyone who’s doing the standover, what business person is also engaged? Because for everyone who takes a bribe, there’s also someone giving a bribe.”
Source Agencies
