Former CFMEU boss John Setka unveils new neck tattoo
The former head of Victoria’s disgraced construction union has re-emerged to show off a fresh teck tattoo with a pointed message.
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The former head of the Victorian CFMEU has re-emerged to show off a fresh teck tattoo with a pointed message, as the disgraced construction union continues to battle allegations of corruption and infiltration by bikie gangs.
John Setka stepped down as Victorian secretary of the CFMEU last month following a joint investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes which aired a series of allegations of corruption, bribery and bullying in the construction arm of the union.
Mr Setka has denied the allegations, but announced he was stepping down from the role after 12 years due to the “relentless” news stories about him. He had been due to retire later this year but said he had decided to go early due to the “ongoing false allegations” about the union “whether true or not”.
He re-emerged for the first time in video posted to social media overnight showing Mr Setka topless with the words “GOD FORGIVES THE CFMEU DOESNT” freshly tattooed across his neck.
The phrase is a common slogan of the militant union and is often seen on its T-shirts, hoodies and stickers. The clip was posted to Instagram by Classic Ink in Yarraville with the caption “Apprentice Rates”.
After the allegations of the CFMEU’s links to organised crime were first aired in July, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan referred the matters to Victoria Police and Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC).
The Victorian branch of the CFMEU was taken over and placed into administration by the national executive.
However the federal government has been forced to step in with legislation after the union failed to agree to the appointment of an administrator to clean it up.
New Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt on Friday said the a bill allowing him to appoint an administrator to sections of the building and construction union in Victoria, NSW and Queensland would be brought before parliament this week.
“We cannot stand by and allow a once proud union to be infiltrated by bikies and organised crime or have bullying and thuggery as part of its day-to-day business,” Senator Watt said.
“We’ve drafted this in a way to withstand a legal challenge, and that’s why there are a couple of steps in the legislation to ensure that it can hold up in court because I think you can bet your bottom dollar that the CFMEU we’ll try and challenge it.”
Senator Watt had given the CFMEU till 5pm on Thursday to consent to a Fair Work Commission application to put it into administration.
He said national secretary Zach Smith had only responded at 5.09pm on Thursday to say “consenting to the application only remains a possibility”.
He said the legislation was being introduced because “it is absolutely clear” the CFMEU was waiting for FWC manager Murray Long’s application to make its way through the courts.
Mr Furlong earlier this month filed a case in the federal court seeking to appoint barrister Mark Irving KC as administrator of the CFMEU’s construction and general division branches across Victoria, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
That would “take far too long given the seriousness of the [alleged] issues that we are dealing with,” he said.
“That is why we are moving ahead with legislation to provide me with the opportunity to appoint an administrator, if I decide that is in the public interest.”
Senator Watt said the legislation would be designed to shut down any opportunities for the militant union to stall the administration process, and said the bill was targeting the CFMEU only.
“This is a significant step taken to clean up one division of one union. The legislation will not apply to other unions or divisions of the CFMEU, other than the construction and general division,” Senator Watt said.
The ACTU has suspended the construction and general division and the ALP’s national secretary Paul Erickson has suspended “until further notice” the union’s construction divisions in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, including donations.
It comes after one of the most powerful figures in the CFMEU NSW branch quit this week following bribery allegations.
CFMEU NSW assistant secretary Michael Greenfield announced on Monday evening he would resign from his position, effective immediately.
The son of CFMEU NSW’s secretary, Mr Greenfield cited “extreme pressure” placed upon his family as the reason behind his resignation.
Mr Greenfield and his father, Darren Greenfield, are facing charges of receiving bribes from an employer after a police camera allegedly caught Darren Greenfield being passed a $5000 bundle of cash from a building company owner in return for union backing.“I have always maintained my innocence in relation to bribery charges brought against me three years ago in 2021,” Mr Greenfield said in a statement.
“Attempts to inflate and agitate matters that have been public knowledge since 2021, and frequently the subject of media scrutiny, are insincere and undermine my right to presumed innocence.”
“The extreme pressure that my family has been placed under due to the extreme government and media bias has left me no choice but to step down to protect my family.”
— with NCA NewsWire
Originally published as Former CFMEU boss John Setka unveils new neck tattoo
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