Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Polley. As we've seen this week, the Albanese government is taking swift, meaningful action to clean up the construction industry so workers have strong representation and safe workplaces free of corruption, criminality and violence. Last night the Senate passed Labor's bill to begin a process to put the construction division of the CFMEU into administration. I think all Australians, including construction workers, have been very disturbed by the allegations we've seen of late of organised crime and bikies infiltrating the construction division of the CFMEU and the wider construction industry.

The passage of this legislation means that the days of organised crime and bikie influence in the CFMEU construction division and the wider industry are coming to an end. This is a very positive step forward for construction workers and Australians generally. Over the last few weeks we've seen unions and employer groups calling on the coalition and the Greens to support the legislation so we can begin working on cleaning up the CFMEU.

But last night, the Greens decided it was more important to keep John Setka happy and voted against our legislation. Let's be very clear, what we saw in the chamber last night was the Greens voting to keep John Setka and bikies in control of the CFMEU. The Greens voted to allow violence across construction sites go on, putting workers at risk. Look at them burying their heads now because they know they are ashamed. They are ashamed because the Greens voted last night to allow bullying, thuggery, corruption and violence to continue in the construction union. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

It is brave unions and their members who stood up and stressed the need for intervention that the Greens let down last night. It is all the staff, members and leaders of the rest of the union movement who run decent unions and who serve their members' interests that the Greens party let down by pursuing their own narrow political interests. You should be ashamed.