The latest disturbing revelations about the CFMEU's links with organised crime confirm that urgent action is required to confront this militant and corrupt organisation head-on.
The CFMEU's behaviour is driving up the cost of residential and commercial housing in Australia.
Bikies are perpetrating domestic violence on jobsites for taxpayer-funded projects. Cars are being torched on our streets because of out-of-control CFMEU turf wars. Infrastructure projects like Melbourne's Metro Tunnel and the North East Link have blown out by billions of dollars on Labor's watch, while taxpayers are footing the bill.
Australian construction workers and communities are unsafe because of the Albanese Labor Government's weakness and inability to stand up to the CFMEU, whose thuggery has worsened since it was put into administration.
The Albanese Government might have hoped this problem had gone away, but it hasn't. The problems have not been solved through putting the CFMEU into administration. It is a law-and-order problem that requires a strong and unequivocal response - and that's precisely what will occur under a Dutton Coalition Government.
Today, we announce that an elected Dutton Coalition Government will:
Introduce new offences that will allow police to target groups that engage in a pattern of criminal behaviour. These offences will be based on the highly effective mafia takedown laws in the US. By targeting groups that engage in a pattern of criminal behaviour, these offences will put police in the position where they can target the criminal organisation and its leadership. This means the bosses and kingpins of groups such as outlaw motorcycle gangs can be jailed even if they distance themselves from the crimes their organisations commit;
Crack down on corruption and organised crime in the construction industry by establishing an Australian Federal Police (AFP)-led taskforce bringing together Commonwealth law enforcement agencies and state and territory police forces;
Immediately introduce legislation to deregister the militant construction division of the CFMEU instead of wasting time with an impotent and bureaucratic administration process;
Reinstate the Australian Building and Construction Commission with increased powers, increase penalties for breaches of the Fair Work Act, and tighten the fit and proper person test for right of entry onto worksites and holding office in a registered organisation.
The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, said "The CFMEU is a modern-day mafia operation. The culture of criminality and corruption is so entrenched, and it will never change - especially under the weak and incompetent Albanese Labor Government."
"Bob Hawke had the courage and conviction to deregister the Builders' Labourers' Federation and Anthony Albanese should follow his strong lead and do the same with the CFMEU."
"You cannot trust Anthony Albanese to stand up to his union mates. A Labor-Greens minority government will only embolden the CFMEU's lawless behaviour. Our country just cannot afford three more years of Labor's weakness and inaction," Mr Dutton said.
Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said "Australians are sick of the Government's protection racket of this militant union which continues to break the law. The fact is that Labor won't stand up to the CFMEU because Labor has been the beneficiary of over $11.5 million in financial and election campaign support from the CFMEU since Anthony Albanese became the Labor Party leader."
"The CFMEU needs to be immediately deregistered and those involved in law-breaking should be blocked from becoming union officials ever again. The chaos, violence and lawlessness in the construction sector lies solely at the feet of Anthony Albanese because of his catastrophic decision to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission," Senator Cash said.
Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Senator James Paterson, said "The CFMEU is a criminal enterprise. Labor's weak attempts to reform the union have failed. Nothing less than tough action to bust their organised crime business model will clean up the building industry and restore law and order."
"Only an elected Dutton Coalition government has the strength required to confront this institutionalised thuggery and corruption," Senator Paterson said.
Enough is enough.
The Albanese Labor Government had hoped the issue of the CFMEU's corrupt behaviour would go away. But it won't. And, in fact, the problem has only gotten worse with a weak Labor Government taking the weakest possible action.
Where the Albanese Labor Government has shown weakness and indecision, a Dutton Coalition Government will take immediate and decisive action to stamp out organised crime and lawlessness in the construction industry.
Eliminating organised crime and corruption from the construction industry is a key part of our plan to alleviate the housing crisis, and get our construction industry and our economy back on track.
