James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker.

I thank the member for Leichhardt! I did think that the new government would be a little bit more careful than they have been, from a reputational point of view, as to how they appeared in the early days of government. First impressions last, and how you look in your first 100 days is probably going to be an enduring view of you and your government—what the people of Australia think of you and of who controls you. That is why initially I was extremely surprised that this new Albanese government was so comfortable and happy to be viewed as being completely controlled and puppeteered by the union movement.

But, to be fair, I don't think that first suspicion of mine is very reasonable, because I do think it is embarrassing to this new Prime Minister and it is embarrassing to this new government that they have to be shown so publicly to be controlled by the union movement. Then, of course, you remember that they don't really have a choice, because they are controlled internally by the union movement. Despite their own judgement as to how things look publicly, in escapades like last week's, if that's what the union movement wants then that's what the union movement will get.

This also reminds me of just how deep the wounds of the 2019 election loss are for the union movement. Had Bill Shorten been elected in 2019, it would have been a very different government for the union movement—a union leader in charge of the country, working with the unions to do what the unions wanted from the Prime Minister's office. That, of course, was not the case, and the unions had to wait three years longer than they were expecting to take over the country and run it again. So we have a situation now where they're not wasting any time and they're not worried whatsoever about perception. They will flaunt and brag about the complete control they've got over this new government. There's some political benefit to this side of the House in that, but it is very disappointing to see the reality of it in full view of the people of this country—the unedifying display of the government being controlled by that narrowcast group.

In my home state of South Australia, we have a very regrettable situation right now thanks to the CFMMEU, which has been taken over by the Victorian branch. There was a guy called Aaron Cartledge who was the state secretary of the CFMMEU in South Australia. By all reports, he was a pretty good, reasonable guy, which meant he had no future leading that union. He was driven out of that union, and the Victorian branch have taken over the South Australian branch of the CFMMEU, because Aaron Cartledge didn't live up to the expectations of the CFMMEU when it comes to doing things like, you know, not breaking the law. So he's gone. He's been thrown overboard—poor old Aaron Cartledge—and John Setka is now running the CFMMEU in my home state of South Australia as well.

What we've seen in the period of time since that has happened has been extremely frightening. Criminal activity is occurring in South Australia. Senior members of the Master Builders Association have had their offices and their private premises vandalised. They've had to hire personal security because they fear for their safety and that of their families. That's the sort of low-level, bikie-gang-type tactics that you on that side of the House condone and that you're proud to be associated with. It's Tony Soprano and his mates in the CFMMEU in South Australia, and you want to come in here and defend them. You could be doing yourselves a favour by saying—

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