CFMEU reveals ‘Union of Opportunity’ campaign has attracted 500 new union members, threatens to take government to court

The Setka-led CFMEU has revealed how many new members it has recruited through its controversial “Union of Opportunity” campaign – which may end up in court.

A CFMEU recruitment campaign, including advertising on the sides of a tram, has attracted about 500 new members since it launched late last year.

The construction union’s South Australian membership is now “in the high two thousands” – up from 2171 at the end of March 2022, the branch said.

The “Union of Opportunity” campaign – which the union says is targeted at women, Australians who don’t use English as their first language, and Indigenous people – will continue over the coming months in forms including outdoor advertising.

The branch has flagged it will challenge a state government decision not to allow further CFMEU advertisements on trams because of rules that ban political advertisements on government infrastructure.

John Setka, who took control of the SA branch last year, denied the union’s advertisements were political. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

The union’s Victorian secretary, John Setka, who took control of the SA branch last year, denied the union’s advertisements were political.

“We don’t understand what the problem with this is,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Monday.

“We’re promoting more women in construction sites. If that’s offensive to people, well, let me tell you, I think this country’s got a lot of problems, or the state’s got a lot of problems.”

Mr Setka said the decision showed some people in government “are probably taking a leaf out of the North Korean book”, and added the union would fight the matter in court if necessary.

An Adelaide tram at Glenelg with the CFMEU advertising. Picture: Jo Schulz

A CFMEU spokeswoman said union lawyers were reviewing correspondence from the agency that co-ordinated the tram advertisement, which was estimated to have cost upwards of $50,000.

The spokeswoman said the decision in South Australia was disappointing “as the union has advertised on trams in Victoria for several years with no concerns raised”.

A state government spokesman said “the Department for Infrastructure and Transport is following existing protocols about appropriate advertising on transport infrastructure such as trams”.

“Any action taken in relation to this is a matter for the CFMEU,” he said.