Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the distinguished chair of the Senate's employment committee for that question. Today's Financial Review shows yet again just how far officials of the CFMEU are willing to go to bully and intimidate anyone who stands up to their thuggery. According to the report, when the employer rightly contacted the Fair Work Building and Construction industry watchdog, inspectors who arrived at the site were actively abused and threatened. This behaviour included one CFMEU official spitting at a female FWBC staff member. This is the same female staff member who was last year subjected to misogynous and sexist abuse by CFMEU official Luke Collier, who used many four-letter expletives. Labor frontbencher Senator Cameron knows what was said, yet spent over 30 minutes and 61 questions at Senate estimates trying to defend not the female public officer, but the misogynistic, offensive union bully.

What was the response of the CFMEU to such behaviour by its officials? Last year, following Mr Collier's abuse of a female inspector, CFMEU boss Dave Noonan issued a press release defending the behaviour and saying: 'Swearing on building sites is nothing new.' And Mr Shorten sends in his frontbencher to defend the thugs at Senate estimates! The case for a tough cop on the beat in the form of the Australian Building and Construction Commission is well and truly made out, and the government urges the Senate to reintroduce this important mechanism to reinstate the rule of law.