Labor’s Disastrous CFMEU Mismanagement Reaches a Farcical New Level
The Albanese Government has reached a new level of incompetence with revelations today that the Fair Work Commission is struggling with the task of trying to put certain branches of the CFMEU into administration because it does not have the powers or the evidence to carry out the task.
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash, called on the new Workplace Relations Minister, Murray Watt, to get serious about stamping out illegality in the construction industry, which starts with the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and deregistering the CFMEU.
“Today’s revelations show that the Albanese Government is struggling to even get its weak option of semi-administration for the CFMEU over the line, because it’s chosen bureaucracy – the Fair Work Commission – lacks the ability to implement even this soft option,” Senator Cash said.
“The new Minister Murray Watt was the man who proudly led the charge of getting the abolition of the ABCC through the Senate, giving control of the construction sector in his Australia to his mates at the CFMEU. He still refuses to acknowledge his disastrous mistake and instead tries to blame the Coalition for the lawlessness of Labor’s CFMEU donors.”
“If Mr Watt is serious about combatting corruption, thuggery, bribery, violence and criminal activity on our nation’s building sites, he should introduce legislation to re-establish the ABCC with increased powers when Parliament returns on Monday August 12.”
Senator Cash also reiterated the Coalition’s calls for the Albanese Government to deregister the construction division of the CFMEU rather than the weak option of a temporary administrator for some of its branches.
“Bob Hawke passed legislation to deregister the Builder’s Labourers Federation in the 1980s. Anthony Albanese needs to do the same thing for the CFMEU,’’ Senator Cash said.
“Unfortunately, Mr Albanese is taking the weak option of semi administration for the CFMEU, because he is too scared to stand up to one of the Labor Party’s biggest donors,” she said.
“If Labor are serious about stamping out corruption in the CFMEU they need to immediately do three things – re-establish the ABCC with increased powers, deregister the CFMEU and pass the former Coalition Government’s Ensuring Integrity measures which they blocked in the Senate,” Senator Cash said.