Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union
Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:41): My question is to the Premier. In 2022 the directors of an Indigenous labour hire firm sent detailed evidence to the Premier that CFMEU officials were threatening extreme violence and unlawfully banning non-union-preferred companies from state-funded projects. Why did the Premier fail to respond to this firm for more than 12 months?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:42): I thank the Leader of the National Party for his question, and I particularly thank the Leader of the National Party for his question because it puts a lie to the allegation that the Leader of the Opposition was making in his earlier question about me not having addressed these questions previously.
The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will not use that language in the chamber.
Jacinta ALLAN: I really do thank the Leader of the National Party for clarifying that matter for the house today. In terms of the question that the Leader of the National Party has put, I, again, addressed this matter a couple weeks ago, and I am again happy to address it for the benefit of the house. This was a matter that was raised with a number of members of federal and state Parliament, I am advised, and also a range of different government agencies.
I do acknowledge there was a delay. I do not dispute that the organisation first wrote to a number of people in April of 2022. However, the correspondence was not brought to my attention until January of 2023, having been logged with my office in late October. Of course what happened in late October was we very quickly soon after that went into the caretaker period, and the correspondence was activated as we came out of that caretaker period. I responded formally in writing in 2023 in April, and between that January and April period conversations were had with that company and representatives of the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority, and I concluded those conversations by corresponding formally in writing to that organisation. Part of the advice to that organisation was that, given the federal government wields the industrial relations powers in this state, their matter needed to be addressed and responded to by the Fair Work Commission.
Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:44): In recent days the Premier has told Victorians that if they witness corrupt or criminal action by the CFMEU they should report it to police. Why did it take the Premier more than 12 months to refer the allegations of corrupt and criminal misconduct by the CFMEU?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:45): I thank the Leader of the National Party again for his question, because this provides me with the opportunity to make a very clear distinction between allegations. The allegation that was put to me in that correspondence did not contain allegations of criminal behaviour. The one time allegations of criminal behaviour were put to me, I have outlined the actions I took to this house. In other instances, those matters have been referred to the relevant agencies for their response, which I have also outlined for the benefit of the house today. Again I thank the Leader of the National Party for assisting the Leader of the Opposition in getting up to speed on what has been happening in the state in the last few weeks in terms of how we are responding to pull this rotten culture out by its roots. We have zero tolerance for this behaviour. We are taking strong action, and that is the action that I will focus on.