Senate debates Questions without Notice
Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union
Maria Kovacic NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women
2:52 pm
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Walsh. Minister, the CFMEU administrator has reportedly identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash withdrawals from the Building Industry 2000 fund, controlled by former CFMEU bosses John Setka and Ralph Edwards, with the administrator saying it is unclear how the cash was spent. Given this fund has been known about for more than a decade, when did the government first become aware of these cash withdrawals, and what action is being taken to establish where that money went?
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
2:53 pm
Thank you, Senator Kovacic, for the question. Our government does not tolerate any corruption, criminality or violence in any part of the construction industry.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
Sue Lines President
Minister Walsh, please resume your seat. Order on my left! Minister Walsh, please continue.
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
You left the ABCC in charge for a decade and left the behaviour that you are now complaining about in place on your watch for a decade. As a government, we have taken—
Sue Lines President
Minister Walsh, please resume your seat. Senator Kovacic?
Maria Kovacic NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women
President, point of order. It's been almost a minute, and Senator Walsh is yet to answer the question of what action this government has taken to establish where the money has gone.
Sue Lines President
Thank you, Senator Kovacic. You will note I sat the minister down and I called for order on my left. If your colleagues want to make interjections, the minister is quite entitled to respond to them. If you want your question focused on, I would ask you to assist me in keeping those on my left silent.
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
Again, our government has taken the strongest action in relation to the CFMEU. We are the government who passed the legislation to put this union into administration, we are the government who appointed the independent administrator and we are the government who, years ago, when you refused to take any action, took action against Mr Setka himself. Again, our government has taken the strongest action against allegations of corruption and criminality in the construction union, which, when you were the government, you allowed to flourish.
Sue Lines President
I'm waiting for silence. Senator Kovacic, first supplementary?
Senator Cash and Senator Wong! Order! I called for order. I was completely ignored. I called the senator to her feet to ask her next question. Again, after calling for order, I was completely ignored. That is unacceptable. Senator Kovacic.
Maria Kovacic NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women
2:56 pm
Minister, the Age has reported that disgraced former CFMEU chief John Setka is refusing to cede control of more than $1 million held in a private political slush fund that has earned millions of dollars, including via a murky deal struck with Coca-Cola to take a cut of the sale of soft drinks on building sites. Why does John Setka still have control of more than $1 million that the administrator says should have been a CFMEU asset?
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
The reason that there is an administrator in place today is that our government appointed him, Senator Kovacic. Again, we do not tolerate any corruption in the construction industry.
Sue Lines President
Minister Walsh, please resume your seat. Senator Kovacic?
Maria Kovacic NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women
On a point of order, President, yet again the minister is not answering my direct question. I did not ask whether the government established the administration.
Sue Lines President
Thank you, Senator Kovacic. I have reminded the Senate on many occasions that, when you make a point of order, it's not an opportunity to make a statement. I have listened carefully. There is no point of order. The minister is being relevant to your question. Minister Wong?
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
I'm asking Senator Henderson to withdraw the accusation she made across the chamber as part of her interjections.
Sarah Henderson Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety
For the benefit of the chamber, I didn't make any direct allegation other than to raise concerns about corruption—
Sue Lines President
Senator Henderson, resume your seat. I indicated to the chamber—
Order! Minister Wong! I indicated to the chamber that I didn't hear the interjection, but I would ask you to withdraw. You're not in a debate with me. I don't need an explanation. Either you choose to withdraw or you don't. Senator Henderson?
Sarah Henderson Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety
President, on the point of order, it is important to point out—
Sue Lines President
I'm not debating with you—
Senator Henderson, I am not in a debate with you. Resume your seat. If you wish to seek leave at a later stage to make a personal explanation, that is entirely your prerogative.
Order! Senators Wong and Hume!
Senator Hume, such disrespect. My goodness. I'm asking you to come to order.
No, Senator Scarr. I don't need your help. Thank you. Minister Wong stood and asked that Senator Henderson withdraw a comment. I have indicated and I will indicate now to the chamber for the third time that I did not hear the interjection. I've invited Senator Henderson to withdraw. It is entirely your prerogative whether you withdraw or not. You can simply withdraw. If you wish, at some later stage in the proceedings, to ask leave to make a personal explanation, that is your prerogative, but you are not doing that with me. I simply asked you to withdraw. You either withdraw or you don't.
Sarah Henderson Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety
For the benefit of the chamber, I will withdraw.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
Sue Lines President
Order across the chamber! Minister Wong and Senator Henderson, let's move on.
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
Well, really, it seems that when you choose to ask questions about the CFMEU, you should all give yourselves a giant trigger warning because you can't handle the questions and you can't handle the truth, which is that this government has done more than you ever did to take on the issue of corruption in the construction industry. It took a Labor government to take these issues on.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
Sue Lines President
Minister Walsh, please resume your seat. I'm waiting for silence. It's not the role of those on my left to yell so loud that I cannot hear. I'm not going to name you individually. You all know who was shouting and who wasn't. Minister Walsh, please continue.
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
Again, our government has done more to stamp out corruption in the construction industry than you ever did. The allegations that you're talking about are in the public sphere because we appointed an administrator who is doing his job.
Maria Kovacic NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women
3:01 pm
Minister, may I say that we can handle the truth—we just haven't heard it yet. After everything that has now been uncovered about John Setka, the coalition has introduced legislation to allow him to be excluded indefinitely from holding office in a registered organisation where warranted. Will Labor support that legislation—yes or no? If not, why should he ever be allowed back into a position of power in an Australian union?
Jess Walsh Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education
3:02 pm
Again, the government have taken the strongest action possible when it comes to the CFMEU and we have taken strong action when it comes to Mr Setka as well. And it is clear that the administrator has achieved more progress towards cleaning up this union in the last couple of years than the coalition and the failed ABCC ever did. You had almost a decade to take action and to do something about corruption, about criminality, about violence in the construction industry. You talk a good game but you achieved absolutely nothing. What we have done is pass legislation to be able to put this union into administration. We have appointed an administrator and the administrator is doing his job.
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.