Jennie George (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was appalled to see recent TV images of an attack on the Sydney offices of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. I know the secretary of the union personally and many who work in their building at Lidcombe, and I appreciate at a personal level the seriousness of the crime committed. Interestingly, specific threats were made before this unprecedented firebombing of a union’s premises. The attack occurred around 10.30 pm on a weeknight, when a stolen car packed with drums of petrol was rammed through the front door of the offices. The foyer area of the building was soaked in petrol before being set alight. That evening I saw footage of emergency workers putting themselves at great risk, unaware of the petrol drums in the car. It was indeed a miracle that no-one was killed. Two community groups had left the building less than an hour before and among the participants were children. On any day, as I know, there would have been dozens of people at risk in that building.

These kinds of attacks are totally unacceptable in our democratic society. Unions are but one of the many groups in our community who stand up for the rights of people and against those who have the power to inflict injustice on them. The perpetrators of this well-organised and well-planned attack need to be brought to justice swiftly. We need organisations like unions, churches and migrant advocacy groups to be able to do their work free from the threats of violence and criminal behaviour. All people must respect the rule of law and appreciate the inherent values of our democratic system. I wholeheartedly support the call of Unions NSW for a special police task force to investigate the bombing—hopefully one that has the resources to catch the criminals. I am pleased to read that this request for the police task force was backed by the Master Builders Association, the employer body, and by members of the Maori, Jewish, Arab, migrant and Christian communities that regularly use the building for community events.

The condemnation of this unprecedented and vicious attack transcends politics. It is an attack on the very fabric of our society. This is a frightening situation. The mere allegations of wrongdoing get an immediate response from the ABCC when those allegations are directed at unions and their officials. But when violence is perpetrated by opponents of unions we hear not a murmur of disquiet from the ABCC. That is clearly unacceptable. In addition to the police investigation of criminal matters, I believe it is incumbent upon the people who work at the ABCC to conduct a thorough investigation at the earliest possible opportunity. It is totally unacceptable in our society for any employer to intimidate, harass or threaten union officials or their staff for carrying out their responsibilities on behalf of working people.

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