Scott Morrison needs to act more like the Prime Minister, writes Susie O’Brien

JOHN Setka using his kids in an explicit social media attack was harmful and stupid, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s response shows he is the real dope, writes Susie O’Brien.

I’M glad union toughie John Setka has removed the picture of his kids holding a sign that read: “GO GET FU#KED” in a social media post.

John Setka’s tweet which has now been deleted.

However, the unedifying incident shows our new Prime Minister Scott Morrison is the real dope, not Mr Setka.

While CFMEU Victorian secretary Mr Setka has long been known to be a brute, this one tweet doesn’t justify the deregistration of the whole union which is what Mr Morrison suggested today.

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Mr Morrison needs to be measured and proportionate in his responses. He’s no longer the party attack dog. He’s the Prime Minister and needs to act more like one.

John Setka.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Although what Mr Setka did was harmful and stupid, Mr Morrison is wrong to compare it to

Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf posting photos of his nine-year-old son holding a severed head on social media.

Australian fugitive Khaled Sharrouf.

It’s a ridiculous comparison, especially since Mr Setka has since removed the tweet and apologised.

“The CFMEU has behaved under John Setka like a bunch of thugs, and to involve children in that, I think, is one of the ugliest things I’ve seen,” Mr Morrison said.

“When you see children being used in these sorts of protests, and we saw it in those horrific things in relation to some of the protests around terrorism and things – I mean this stuff just makes your skin crawl.”

There is simply no justification for likening what Mr Setka did to terrorism.

I personally don’t agree with kids being trundled along to support their parents’ political activities. They should be at home playing, not walking the streets with banners in support of the latest fashionable cause. But holding up a sign with a rude word on it is hardly akin to holding a severed head.

Mr Morrison’s also wrong to say a union that represents 30,000 people should be deregistered on the basis of such antics. Mr Morrison described the tweet as “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

It’s simply no reason to deny 30,000 people access to union representatives.

The CFMEU certainly needs to clean up its act, having incurred more than $15 million in fines since 2005. It also has around 80 officials in court on 44 separate matters. What a huge waste of its members’ time and money. But the PM shouldn’t boast about deregistering a massive organisation on the basis of one tweet.

Mr Setka must have felt the wrath of parents everywhere because he followed the original post with one that read: “Mea Culpa. Was emotional on Father’s Day after tough year on family. Shouldn’t have included kids. Now deleted.”

The bigger issue is the behaviour of our cowboy Prime Minister, who needs to grow into the job. Fast.