Union chief’s vile comment about the Prime Minister – as CFMEU warns Albo has ‘opened the Gates of Hell’

A senior union leader has accused Anthony Albanese of soiling himself after the prime minister confirmed another CFMEU branch would go bankrupt.

The Albanian government is set to introduce legislation to allow an external director to be appointed to reform the Construction Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU), following a series of shocking allegations this week.

The Victorian branch of the CFMEU has already been placed into administration and its boss John Setka has stepped down. New South Wales will follow.

When Mr Albanese heard of Mr Setka’s resignation he responded ‘good’. He had previously expelled Mr Setka from the ALP in 2019 when he was leader of the opposition.

The Premier confirmed in Brisbane on Wednesday that Queensland’s CFMEU would also be placed into administration, prompting a heated press release from Minister Michael Ravbar claiming Labor and Mr Albanese were in a panic over the allegations.

“The Albanian Labor Government has opened the gates of hell to tens of thousands of workers, while doing everything it can to protect the elite and its Labor friends from control over their ties to the underworld,” the statement said.

‘By appointing unelected officials to lead the CFMEU, Albania is attempting to deprive thousands of construction workers of effective representation at a time when they need it most.

‘Albanese has panicked and soiled itself with a series of unsubstantiated allegations in the media. Workers can see that Albo has lost control and the country is being run by clowns hosting breakfast shows and talkback radio shockjocks.

When Mr Albanese was told that Mr Setka had resigned, he replied ‘good’. He had previously expelled Mr Setka from the ALP in 2019 when Opposition Leader

“I will defend the integrity of the CFMEU every day of the week. If Albanian or any other politician wants to investigate crime properly, they should start at the top, not the bottom.”

The chief executive of the Fair Work Commission is to launch an investigation into a series of allegations made public since the weekend about the union’s construction arm.

The allegations include that criminal underworld figures and motorcycle gangs acted as agents on behalf of the CFMEU and that some members solicited and accepted bribes in exchange for favourable treatment at CFMEU-controlled sites – many of which are funded by taxpayers.

Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke told reporters on Wednesday: “I believe these measures are best taken by the regulator, but as a minister I will support any move to appoint an administrator.”

Mr Burke also said he had asked the Fair Work Ombudsman to conduct a targeted review of all enterprise agreements made by the Victorian branch of the CFMEU’s construction division that apply to major construction projects in Victoria.

“I want to stress this: We are looking for information about coercive behavior. The government has no intention of taking any action that would jeopardize the employment conditions of the workers covered by these agreements,” Burke said.

“It’s not their fault.”

Mr Burke said he was not aware of the latest allegations before they were made public.

“The problem of organized crime was published as exclusive news because it was new information.”

Mr Burke rejected the deregistration of the CFMEU, saying it was no longer the “strongest measure” a government could take against a union.

The Fair Work Act also allows deregistered organisations to act as a ‘red union’, allowing them to negotiate on behalf of workers, which would negate part of the reason for registration.

John Setka (pictured with ex-wife Emma) resigned from the CFMEU last Friday evening

Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke told reporters on Wednesday: ‘I believe these measures are best taken by the regulator, but any move to appoint an administrator will be supported by me as Minister.’

“That capacity didn’t exist when the Builders Labourers Federation was deregistered (by former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke),” Burke said.

“If we were to simply deregister, we would have an organisation that could still negotiate and operate the full business model that we have seen play out in recent days, without the regulation or additional oversight that applies to registered organisations.”

Mr Albanese said the government had acted “swiftly” and decisively to appoint administrators for the CFMEU branches in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

“That’s right. We’re not waiting. We’ve been determined,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Brisbane.