Wednesday, 29 October 2025

E&OE

Tim Wilson MP

Well, day three of sitting and we still don't have any answers from the Albanese Government over the ongoing calamity that is its CFMEU administration. What we have known from consistent reports that are being revealed, in the Nine press from 60 Minutes on Sunday night to the unfolding reports day in, day out, is that the criminal corruption within the CFMEU, according to whistleblowers, is getting worse, not better, under the Albanese Government’s so-called strongest possible solution. What has become clear is that the strongest possible solution is designed to protect the power structures within the CFMEU and protect the power structures that go all the way up to who forms government in this country. We know the Prime Minister, sits on the National Executive with other Labor government ministers and members of parliament, with Zach Smith, the head of the Victorian division of the CFMEU, who has ongoing meetings with figures like John Setka. We know he's facilitated meetings with figures like Mick Gatto, and the that the CFMEU holds power over the Prime Minister and Minister Rishworth as a consequence of those levers of power. We know that Zach Smith gives numbers to the Prime Minister through the Labor Party National Executive. We also know from sources that there is increasing nervousness on the part of the Labor Party that Mr. Smith continues to sit on, the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party and there is now pressure on Mr. Smith to get him off before the Prime Minister comes back from overseas, lest he be tarnished with the continued relationship between the CFMEU and, of course, the Labor Party. There are so many questions that have not been answered that are straightforward and simple. On Monday, Minister Rishworth boasted about her ongoing conversations with the CFMEU Administrator but wouldn't tell us basic information. We sent her questions now two weeks ago, about what she asked the administrator about meetings between the CFMEU and Mick Gatto, between the CFMEU and John Setka, between other meetings that have been approved, about cartel kickbacks that have been provided from organised crime figures all the way up to the CFMEU. What did the minister know? When she asked questions? And is she following up? And what does she think about the CFMEU administration greenlighting a lot of these meetings, or seemingly knowing and doing nothing about these cartel kickbacks? It is now time for the administration to come before the Parliament of the people of Australia and answer these basic questions, because public confidence has collapsed in the CFMEU administration. And shortly, Senator Maria Kovacic is going to step through this inquiry that we're putting forward through the Senate. Yesterday, it was put to a vote and it revealed distressingly, that Labor is continuing to run interference into an inquiry into the CFMEU and its administration. But even more distressing than that, knowing the history of the CFMEU officials and how they have been involved in misogyny and attacks on women in the workplace, the Greens are not prepared to stand up and have an inquiry that holds these institutions to account, and would rather run interference in favour of the CFMEU, rather than actually have an inquiry and hold this conduct to account, and voted with the government. Now is the time for good people to stand up. Now is the time to have an inquiry and to bring the Administrator and the administration before the Parliament so they can answer basic questions. Senator Kovacic?

Senator Maria Kovacic

Thank you. Yesterday in the Senate, the Government on the Greens voted to block a Senate inquiry into the administration of the CFMEU. Today, we will re-prosecute that and give them a second chance to do the right thing. And what is the right thing? That is to allow a Senate inquiry to properly scrutinise what is going on with this administration. In questions this week in the Senate to Senator Wong, we asked about the corruption and the criminal conduct that has continued since the administration has come into place. We did not receive any meaningful answers in relation to that, which makes it even clearer than it already has been, based on what the media has successfully exposed, in that this conduct is ongoing. So, by refusing this Senate inquiry, the Albanese Labor Government, in concert with the Greens, are continuing to run a protection racket for the CFMEU. That is an absolute disgrace. It is unacceptable. Australians deserve better. But let me tell you this, the rank and file everyday members of the CFMEU, that go to work and work their guts out every day, deserve better from their leadership. They deserve better from the leadership of the CFMEU and they deserve better from the leadership of the Labor Party. If Mr. Zach Smith will not resign from Labor's National Executive, if he feels that he should still be there despite the conduct that's been exposed, then we need to ask the Prime Minister why he will not ask for his removal.

Journalist

Senator, why do you think the Greens won’t back it? Do you think its got anything to do with their former member, Max Chandler-Mather, sharing a platform at the CFMEU Brisbane rally? Why… [indaudible]

Senator Maria Kovacic

Look, they haven’t provided that information. Obviously there is that background. There is also the fact that the CFMEU does in some cases fund Green candidates in terms of election campaigning. Regardless of those connections, and I note the hardworking rank and file CFMEU members, this is intrinsic corruption within an organisation that must be dealt with. People need to set their conflicts aside, their conflicts of interest that is, and do what is the best outcome, and the best outcome for Australians, in this case, the rank and file members of the CFMEU and for Australia's construction industry, is for there to be a Senate inquiry into the administration of the CFMEU. And Minister Rishworth should stand up and ask her Senate colleagues to back that.

Journalist

Do you think that the union is beyond reform?

Senator Maria Kovacic

I think that that is something that our inquiry will uncover in greater detail. I have great concerns that, given 15 months of administration, things have not improved. Things have actually gotten worse.

Tim Wilson MP

Senator Kovacic just hit the point on the head, which is, after 15 months, the administration has failed to reform the CFMEU. This is not our opinion. Whistleblowers themselves are saying corruption within their union has got worse since the administration has been in place. And so, it's clear that the administration isn't working and tougher measures are going to be necessary. The only way that we are going to get those tougher measures to understand what is the deep heart and the structure of the problem that is faced by the CFMEU, and that's why we need an inquiry. That's why Labor should be backing the inquiry. That's, more importantly, why the Greens should be backing the inquiry, because there should be no tolerance for misogyny or attacks on women or corruption on Australian workplace sites and construction sites, or the payment of cartel kickbacks that increase the cost of the purchase of a first home. That increases the cost of public projects and from taxpayers money. And we would expect crossbenchers and the Greens to rise to the challenge. Support this inquiry simply to shine some light so we understand what is going to be necessary to stop this corruption.

Journalist

Just on another issue, should the Prime Minister apologise for wearing a Joy Division t-shirt?

Tim Wilson MP

Well, I'm not in the business of engaging in these conversations. We're focused on the CFMEU specifically, and the clear facts are that the Prime Minister is currently, and the concern between his t-shirt or a concern about where the Prime Minister is sitting around a table, with Zac Smith, head of the CFMEU, of the Victorian division, who's known associates of people like Mick Gatto, like John Setka, and he is comfortable doing that. That is far more distressing to me. Because to me, that says something deeply concerning about the culture within the Labor Party. The Prime Minister relies on his numbers, to be able to pass and through the national executive of the Labor Party and ultimately tomorrow, he's going to be coming back into the country, and he's going to have to explain to the nation why, with all of these allegations of corruption, all the allegations of cartel kickbacks, he's comfortable turning left at the national executive table, sitting beside somebody like Zac Smith, whose numbers he relies upon.

Journalist

A significant cohort of your constituents are people of Jewish faith. To the question you were just asked, has anyone raised the t-shirt issue with you? Is it a thing, do you think, for your constituents, of concern?

Tim Wilson MP

I'm afraid nobody apart from the Canberra press gallery that I have seen, I haven't had a chance to read all my emails, I've been focused on issues within the Parliament, have raised this issue with me. The key issues that I've been focused on this week has been the egregious issues of corruption in the CFMEU, the egregious issues where the Labor Party has been completely failed in tackling the issues of corruption within the CFMEU. And, despite repeated questions within the parliament, and outside the parliament, we sent the Minister now two weeks ago, as well as the Fair Work Commission, as well as the administrator, a list of about 20 questions. And, we still don't have comprehensive answers to all of those questions from the administrator, nor from the Minister. And this only entrenches the concern that we have that they simply don't want accountability. They don't want to bring justice. They don't want to address the issues that go to the heart, that have raised all the allegations on 60 Minutes in the Nine press and will continue to raise the concerns, that Australians are raising.

Journalist

So, you’d prefer to be talking about more serious issues than someone’s t-shirt?

Tim Wilson MP

I'm speaking specifically about these issues, and that’s the basis on which we're focusing on this press conference, because these are the issues we're focusing on.

Journalist

Do you support your leader’s calls for an apology?

Tim Wilson MP

So, I'm sorry we're focusing on these issues.

Journalist

So, you don’t support your leaders calls?

Tim Wilson MP

I will continue to focus on the issues around cartel kickbacks and CFMEU corruption, because when it comes down to it, the Prime Minister's sitting right next to Zach Smith on the national executive of the Australian Labor Party, and he seems to think it's acceptable to sit on the national executive of the Australian Labor Party, with a figure that is directly caught up with all of the allegations that are being thrown around, of the, CFMEU, scandals that are in the papers every single day. And its time the Prime Minister came back to Australia, answered for those issues because they are central to the confidence that Australians have right now.

Tim Wilson MP

Thank you very much.

Senator Maria Kovacic

Thank you.

ENDS