CFMEU boss John Setka threatened to expose personal details of ABCC inspectors

A SENIOR Labor figure says comments by CFMEU boss John Setka calling for Australian Building Construction Commission inspectors to be exposed and shamed are “completely reprehensible”.

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A SENIOR Labor figure says comments by CFMEU boss John Setka calling for Australian Building Construction Commission inspectors to be exposed and shamed are “completely reprehensible”.

In a public tirade during a building industry rally yesterday Mr Setka warned ABCC inspectors: “When we come after you, you better be careful” and encouraged union members to “expose them all”.

The union boss made the comments while addressing a crowd of more than 20,000 who had marched through the CBD yesterday to protest against working conditions.

Mr Setka said he would lobby inspectors’ local communities and reveal their home addresses.

“We will lobby their neighbourhoods, we will tell them who lives in that house,” he said.

“They will not be able to show their face anywhere, their kids will be ashamed of who their parents are when we expose all these ABCC inspectors.”

Senior Labor figure Anthony Albanese slammed Mr Setka’s comments as “completely unacceptable” and suggested he was a “nutter”.

“I think the idea that people should be targeted is completely reprehensible,” Mr Albanese said this morning.

Anthony Albanese has slammed Mr Setka’s comments. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

He said it was appropriate that Mr Setka’s comments had been reported to police.

Asked why Labor continued to have a relationship with the CFMEU, Mr Albanese said: “There’s some nutters in the Liberal Party too.”

ABCC Commissioner Nigel Hadgkiss said he was very concerned for the welfare of his staff following the threats, but said threats of this kind were not uncommon.

“Obviously we take them seriously,” Mr Hadgkiss told 3AW.

“We are well versed, as it were, in this kind of behaviour.”

Nigel Hadgkiss. Picture Tom Huntley

Mr Hadgkiss said he was “very conscious” of the amount of threats received especially those which target female members in particular.

He said that many of the inspectors were young men and women, some of whom were straight out of university.

“They’re a resilient group of people,” he said.

Mr Hadgkiss said many cases of threats and intimidation towards inspectors had been referred to the courts, adding that the majority of these cases were in Victoria.

“It’s fair to say that Victoria has the highest number of prosecutions,” he said.

The Commissioner said it was appropriate that Setka’s threats were now being handled by Victoria Police.

Premier Daniel Andrews did not criticise Mr Setka, but said while a debate about safety on construction sites was “fair and proper” it was best to avoid roping in people’s families.

“These are often highly charged and emotional debates but I don’t think we are ever well served when people’s families are brought into it, I just don’t think that’s an appropriate thing to do,” he said.

“But it is a highly charged and often very emotional environment because there are sadly, many people who lose their lives on building sites each and every day.

Premier Daniel Andrews did not criticise Mr Setka. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“If we were having to knock on doors and telling loved ones that their husband or their wife or their family member wasn’t going to be coming home from work today because there had been an accident, maybe we would have a different perspective on these things. That debate is a fair and proper one to have, but let’s not drag people’s families into it and let’s try and conduct that debate in the most constructive way possible.”

Former ABCC inspector, Allan, said he experienced intimidation and abuse from the construction union during his career.

“The CFMEU have probably a better intelligence unit than Victoria Police,” Allan said.

“They are able to find out inspectors home addresses, phone numbers,” he said.

Allan told the 3AW Breakfast program of occasions when he was “cornered” by workers on building sites.

“They called it the walk of shame,” he said.

“They (workers) would abuse you, try and spit on you.”

This morning a CFMEU spokesman said in a statement: “These comments were just hyperbole.”

Victoria Police told the Herald Sun they were not able to comment at this time.

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Originally published as CFMEU boss John Setka threatened to expose personal details of ABCC inspectors