Max Chandler-Mather speaks to CFMEU rally in Brisbane
From Max Chandler-Mather:
Today, I joined thousands of workers who rallied around the country against Labor and the Liberals’ unprecedented attack on natural justice and the rule of law when they seized control of the CFMEU last week.
Labor has joined with the Liberals to pass the most draconian, undemocratic, anti-worker laws this country has seen. These laws let the minister take control of the CFMEU’s property, sell off its assets and change any union rules they like. These laws have seen an administrator fire hundreds of staff and officials – including workers who haven’t even been accused of doing anything wrong.
As the NSW Council for Civil Liberties said,
“The rushed nature of this legislation which is designed to override a process begun by the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Court threatens the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness. We note that the proposed legislation would set a precedent where membership-based organisations can have democratic control externally removed on the basis of untested allegations.”
The Greens strongly oppose corruption and misogyny. But it should not be controversial to say that allegations should be tested in a court through a fair trial. Instead Labor has used these untested allegations as an excuse to attack an entire union, overriding natural justice and any basic sense of fairness.