Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why won't this weak Prime Minister stand up to the bullies, thugs and crooks of the CFMEU? We know from media reports that the CFMEU has been infiltrated by bikies and underworld criminal figures. We know that for years CFMEU officials have routinely broken the law and that judge after judge has criticised them for doing so, such as Federal Court judge Justice Tracey in 2017, saying its conduct was 'arrogant and dismissive of warnings given to them that they were acting unlawfully'.

Yet the Albanese Labor government has repeatedly danced to the tune of the CFMEU. They abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission. They refused to allow part of the union to demerge, even when women workers and union officials in the textile, clothing and footwear section were desperate for this to happen. So much for being committed to women's safety. It's amazing how you can forget your stated principles for $6.2 million—the amount of CFMEU donations to Labor since the current Prime Minister became leader. Labor must immediately hand back the tainted $6.2 million. This Prime Minister must stand up to the CFMEU, not use this weak exercise of appointing an administrator. He must immediately deregister the CFMEU and bring back the ABCC.