Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Seselja for the question—and, yes, I am. The Heydon royal commission heard evidence that Halafihi Kivalu, a former senior official of the ACT branch of the CFMEU, allegedly blackmailed a building contractor over a residential property in Yarralumla between 2012 and 2013, and a second project in Braddon in 2013. Mr Kivalu allegedly accepted payments totalling $135,000 from one Elias Taleb. The payments were, in Mr Kivalu's words, to 'get some people off your back'. Mr Taleb's evidence to the royal commission was that Mr Kivalu said:

… words to the effect of 'it will be 50 grand for this job, and if you don't pay someone else will, and they will get the job'.

When asked if he felt he had any choice other than handing Mr Kivalu the money, Mr Taleb stated as follows:

Basically, if we don't do … whatever—

whatever the CFMEU wants—

they usually go to the site, harass everyone … just giving us a hard time …

At the hearings of the royal commission in Canberra—