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

I thank Senator Paterson for his question. I can inform the Senate that just this week the New South Wales CFMEU has done a deal to hand senior leadership positions to a Mr Brian Parker and a Mr Darren Greenfield. In relation to the second gentlemen, this is the same Darren Greenfield who has been referred to authorities for making a death threat to a colleague, and, further to that, taking weekly $2½ thousand kickbacks for the CFMEU from crime figure George Alex.

In relation to Mr Brian Parker, he has been referred to authorities for perjury, obstructing a Fair Work building inspector and gross neglect of duty. He pressured female superannuation fund executives to leak to him confidential lists of member details, and, when one of those executives was asked by the Heydon royal commission about this leak, she initially denied the truth because 'she was absolutely terrified of what Mr Parker might do to her or to her family'. Commissioner Heydon asked the CFMEU to consider removing Mr Parker from his position. Surely the CFMEU's members deserve better than this. They deserve better than the officials who lead them, who have a history of abuse, intimidation and violence. With deals being done like this, and with examples like this, it is little wonder that we still have approximately 100 CFMEU officials facing our courts.