Albanese and Burke must shed light on alleged CFMEU deal with John Setka

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must come clean about whether there has been an agreement between his government and John Setka over the administration of the disgraced CFMEU construction division.

Last night on the program HighlightMr Setka, the former secretary of the CFMEU's Victorian construction division, said he had received assurances through various intermediaries that if he resigned as secretary, the CFMEU would not be placed under administration by the Albanian government.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations Senator Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese and his government ministers had very serious questions to answer.

“Mr Albanese must come clean about what he, his office, his ministers or anyone else in his government knew about this alleged ‘secret deal’ with John Setka or anyone else in the CFMEU,” Senator Cash said.

Senator Cash said it was very alarming that when the Albanese government should have been focused on dealing with the chaos created by the CFMEU, which was largely the result of Mr Albanese's disastrous decision to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), it was instead trying to strike deals with John Setka.

“Mr Albanese has serious questions to answer. Were other CFMEU officials given special treatment? Did the CFMEU receive secret concessions if it went into administration? Who was the alleged middleman who negotiated between Mr Setka and former Minister Tony Burke?” Senator Cash asked.

“Thanks to the Albanian Government, the CFMEU has been given complete freedom to decide on the Australian construction sector, which has seen the cost of infrastructure to Australian taxpayers increase by 30%, contributing significantly to the national cost of living crisis,” Senator Cash said.

“The CFMEU has donated over $6.2 million to Labor since Mr Albanese became leader. If the Australian people are to have confidence in this government, it is imperative that Mr Albanese comes clean about the interactions between his government and John Setka in the days and weeks following his resignation,” Senator Cash said.