Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (15:26): We have all been shocked by the revelations around the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union. Whilst we all knew and we had heard repeatedly that there were many problems, that there was much corruption, extortion and other threats, the Channel 9 investigation has laid this out bare for the community. There has been a huge cost for Victorians, not just the individual businesses and the individual workers who have been clobbered by the CFMEU – and we saw terrible examples of individual workers who had been ostracised and seriously impacted by the CFMEU behaviour – but also the massive costs that have been laid out for the Victorian taxpayer. There has been more than $40 billion in cost overruns on Big Build sites – massive overruns. Workers should be paid very well, but those cost overruns are much more than that. They are money that is scooped off, money that is siphoned away for corrupt purposes – for extortion – money that is siphoned away to line the pockets of crooked and corrupt people, many of whom I believe should be in jail. That is the truth of the matter. There is a weak government here in Victoria, a weak government under Premier Jacinta Allan, a weak government under Tim Pallas and a weak government under other ministers who knew but did not act. They turned a blind eye to the corruption, they turned a blind eye to the crookedness, the extortion, the threats – (Time expired)