Monday, 27 October 2025

Tim Wilson MP:

Well good morning everybody. Last night on 60 Minutes we saw shocking claims, but not necessarily surprising ones. Where whistleblowers are increasingly compromising themselves to stand up and speak out against the CFMEU Administrator who has become an enabler, it seems, of corruption.

What we now have is key people being moved strategically into positions within the CFMEU who are known associates and engaged in allegations of corruption. This is consistent now with a pattern of behaviour where the Government who has said, is the strongest possible course of action to appoint an Administrator to run the CFMEU is failing to clean up the mess that they inherited and now 15 months after being placed into Administration, it seems the problem is in fact getting worse.

We have Mick Gatto and John Setka continuing to associate with the CFMEU officials with the approval of the Administrator. We had evidence of bribery continuing to be paid and cartel kickbacks being paid with the knowledge of the Administrator. And what we're not seeing is any action from the Government. The Government and Minister Rishworth won't front up and answer basic questions. Or even answer simple questions we've put to her, neither will the Administrator, neither will the Fair Work Commission.

Last week the Prime Minister, when questions were put to him by journalists, refused to answer any questions about the CFMEU or corruption. What's increasingly clear is the Administration is being set up for one purpose, to perpetuate the power structures within the CFMEU which go directly back to the heart of this Government. The Prime Minister, when he sits around the National Executive table and turns left sees Zach Smith, the head of the Victorian Division of the CFMEU and he relies on his votes within the National Executive of the Labor Party. That means that the Government won't take the action they need to stop the corruption, to stop the cartel kickbacks and to stop the conduct that has led to the CFMEU being put under Administration. 

Instead, the Government is running interference into the Administration to keep it going for their own benefit. It's time that action was taken that was serious. Whistleblowers are now coming out on 60 Minutes, on the front pages of the Nine Press and saying explicitly that the Administrator is actually acting to stop tougher action against the CFMEU and corrupt officials. The Administrator's doing so because, according to them, their own words, they're fearful of the re-establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. They're fearful that it will embarrass the Government and their weak response to corruption and cartel kickbacks. Well now it is time for the administrator to come before this Parliament and answer basic questions so that the Australian people know what's really motivating the Government. We need to know what's really motivating the Administrator and their course of action. And more importantly, what action is going to be taken to crack down on the corruption and cartel kickbacks that is costing Australians. Because every time these cartel kickbacks are paid, they come from taxpayers' dollars and higher costs that are imposed on working Australians. And to that end, I want to welcome Senator Maria Kovacic, who's been doing a wonderful job prosecuting these issues in the Senate and particularly around her announcement to keep this pressure and this scrutiny continuing on the Administrator.

Senator Kovacic:

Thank you and I thank the Shadow Minister for his words and for the work he's doing in the House in relation to these significant concerns. There are serious questions to be asked about why the Prime Minister and Minister Rishworth refuse to answer questions in relation to the CFMEU. 

Australians are right to wonder whether they are in fact running a protection racket for the CFMEU. What is happening with this Administration has raised some serious concerns and rightly so. We have seen extensive media coverage of this but in Senate estimates a couple of weeks ago, there were very unclear answers in relation to what is actually going on. And as a result of that, tomorrow I'll be moving a motion in the Senate for an Inquiry into the Administration of the CFMEU. This is an absolutely necessary step because this Government has remained silent and refuses to answer questions in relation to what is going on. It is very clear that John Setka remains involved in the CFMEU. It is very clear that corruption is still ongoing in the CFMEU. It is very clear that bribery and intimidation continues at the CFMEU, including as evidenced last night on 60 Minutes, intimidation of women and children. This is unacceptable and this cannot be allowed to continue and it will be cognisant upon every single Senator tomorrow in that Chamber when they make their decision to vote, as to whether they will allow the cover-up of the conduct of the CFMEU to continue, or whether they'll allow the Senate to scrutinise and actually understand what is going on with the Administration of the CFMEU. 

Question:

Do we need an Inquiry to have you guys call for a new administration or some sort of new regime? Or is it time for the Administration to be removed or reformed in some way?

Tim Wilson MP:

I think what we need to do is get to the bottom of what is actually going on in the Administration. We need to make sure the Administrator comes before the Parliament and actually answers the questions to the Parliament of Australia.

Today we saw allegations where the Administrator has claimed to not be taking courses of action because it would embarrass the Government and in addition to that might risk the recreation of the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

We need to know the answers to that. If he just steps aside and avoids accountability and scrutiny, we may not get to the full extent of the cover-up and the connections with the Government, where the Administrator seems to be acting to protect the Government, not the public.

Question:

And you'd want Mark Irving and others who are in the Administration to appear at this Inquiry?

Tim Wilson MP:

We absolutely want Mark Irving KC and those involved in the Administration to front up before the Parliament. So far they've avoided the Parliament, it's time that we have proper oversight, proper scrutiny, proper action because the allegations in the paper today that they are engaged in both enabling corruption but further, that they're involved in running interference of harder measures to crack down on corruption are so serious because they go directly to the Government.

Question:

And what about the Prime Minister in relation to Zach Smith? Should he remove him from the Executive?

Tim Wilson MP:

I would have thought the role for Mr Smith was to jump off the National Executive a long time ago. But so long as Mr Smith remains on the National Executive of the Labor Party and the Prime Minister relies on Zach Smith's numbers. The Prime Minister will be tainted by his connection to CFMEU corruption and it raises serious questions about whether any measure the Government is taking is really just a cover-up, rather than a prosecution of this corruption. Because they know that people they need support from, inside the Labor Party, have a pathway of retribution and can dangle that over the Prime Minister and the Minister as they see fit, they're compromised.

Question:

Is the CFMEU beyond reform in your view? Is it too far gone?

Tim Wilson MP:

It's very hard to see how the CFMEU is going to be fixed when they have an Administrator in place that seems to be running interference to protect the existing power structures and has put people in key strategic positions who have then gone on to engage in forms of allegations of corruption.

That's why we need to know what's going on, when it's happening and how it's going to be, so we can understand the full extent of the response that is now required. In Queensland, of course, they have their own separate Inquiry being led by Stuart Wood KC and we may yet have further measures that need to be taken, because it's clear the Government isn't serious about cracking down on this corruption because it goes to the heart of their own power structures within the Government.

Question:

Could one of those measures be de-registration? Should that still be considered?

Tim Wilson MP:

This is why we want an inquiry because I think we have everything presently on the table of options because what the Government has done has failed. Whistleblowers are saying it has failed. People from the AFP are saying it has failed. Anti-corruption lawyers are saying the Labor Government's response to CFMEU corruption has failed. Now is the time to understand what has been motivated by the administrator because according to whistleblowers it has not been cracking down on corruption, it has been either strategically placing or enabling it to happen and running interference to protect the Government and the power structures that keep them in play.

Question:

Can I ask are you satisfied with the time frame for the energy policy development for your Party and are you going to go along to the meeting on Friday and contribute some ideas.

Tim Wilson MP:

My focus is on having net zero tolerance for corruption on Australian construction sites. And that is the key difference between us and the Labor Party right now. I understand lots of other people want to talk about other issues. We are going to focus on net zero tolerance for corruption on construction sites because those are the costs Australians are paying right now, and go directly to the heart of the costs Australians are paying through the costs of buying a new home, through the costs that are going on to the taxpayer, through further debt, through public projects at a State and a Commonwealth level. And we are all going to continue to pay the price until this Government starts taking this corruption seriously.

Senator Kovacic:

The Government can do one clear thing tomorrow to show that it's going to be transparent in relation to the CFMEU, and that is to not block the Senate Inquiry. If they block that Senate Inquiry tomorrow, it reinforces everything that we are saying today, that they are not just looking the other way, but they are very much allowing the corruption in the CFMEU and elements of criminal conduct to continue.

ENDS