Union boss John Setka slams “nanny state” Victoria, pledges strikes if duck hunting is banned

CFMEU boss John Setka says Victoria has become an absurd “nanny state” as unions pledge to draw a line in the sand by walking off Big Build jobs if duck hunting is banned.

Union boss John Setka has slammed Victoria as a “nanny state”. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Union boss John Setka says government construction sites “will be targeted” by mass walkouts if duck hunting is banned, claiming the Andrews government’s growing list of rules and regulations is turning Victoria into a “nanny state”.

Mr Setka, state secretary of the CFMEU construction division, said a recent survey found 80 per cent of his members were against the proposed ban, arguing the sport was “one of the few things we can still do” in Victoria.

“A lot of our members are into fishing, hunting, duck hunting. They’re into it and they want us to take action,” Mr Setka told 3AW on Friday.

The union boss said government sites will be targeted by industrial action if the ban gets through, with tradies urged to put down their tools and walk off the job.

“It’s the government that is actually passing the legalisation. Sometimes you’ve got to listen to the people,” he said.

Mr Setka says banning duck hunting is an attack on the lifestyle of his members. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Mr Setka said those in the union who were passionate duck hunters were “responsible”, had completed courses on identifying protected birds and were “animal lovers”.

“A lot of (the union’s duck hunters) are actually animal lovers — they’ve got trained dogs, they probably treat their dogs better than their kids sometimes,” he said.

“It’s a serious sport, it’s a generational sport.”

Mr Setka said Victoria had become “a nanny state” where it was “almost an offence to tell the truth”.

“Are people not going to be able to breathe soon? It’s almost becoming, I mean we’ve heard people call it a bit of a nanny state,” he said.

“It’s getting a bit ridiculous.

“Oh, don’t walk on the street because you might step on an ant and the ant’s got feelings.

“How far does it go? Where does it stop?”

‘Only time they’ll listed’: Shots fired over duck hunt decision

Mr Setka was being interviewed after the Herald Sun revealed more than 85,000 Victorian workers would be urged to down tools and walk off major government construction sites in Victoria if the Andrews government bans duck hunting.

Four key building unions – including the powerful CFMEU, ETU and unions representing plumbers and metal workers – have slammed a ban being considered by parliament and would “encourage our members to walk off government jobs, to attend political protests to defend their rights to outdoor recreation”.

A $2m war chest has also been established to fund a campaign against any move to curtail recreational activities of members including duck hunting – a clear warning shot to government to not infringe on the pastimes of blue-collar workers.

The explosive Building Industry Group of Unions (BIG) resolution, which has also been backed by the Australian Workers’ Union and the Victorian mining union, was prompted by revelations in the Herald Sun that a state parliamentary inquiry was set to recommend outlawing native bird hunting by as early as next year.

Four key building unions have slammed the duck hunting ban being considered by parliament. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Labor insiders said the inquiry recommendation would pave the way for Premier Daniel Andrews to call time on the pursuit, which is illegal in NSW, Western Australia and Queensland and has been advocated by the ALP’s left wing as well as the Greens and Animal Justice Party.

However, state secretary of the ETU, Troy Gray warned the Andrews government to not forget the interests of the workers that help them maintain power.

“There is four unions on the BIG, we speak as one and the members of the table have been around for a 100 years and we have built, financed and resourced the ALP,” he said.

“I’ve never seen the support and determination within, not just our membership, but blue collar workers in general in regards to this campaign and their right to access outdoor resources.”

Duck hunting is illegal in NSW, Western Australia and Queensland. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

State secretary of the CFMEU construction division, John Setka, said union surveys showed a huge majority of members supported duck hunting.

“Whether it’s Labor or Liberal, sometimes the only time they listen is when there’s a bit of people power, and people take to the streets,” he said.

“A lot of people sort of see it as the government just trying to ban everything, pretty soon we’re not going to be allowed to breathe.”

Members of the CFMEU, ETU, AMWU and the CEPU represent at least 85,000 workers on big government jobs, while other unions backing the plan represent thousands more.

Mr Gray added that a mass walk off would have huge ramifications for projects across the state and he called on Labor leaders to reject the parliamentary inquiry’s recommendation.

The call comes at a time when broadly, support for duck hunting has fallen in recent years, and some key Labor figures have voiced their distaste for the practice.

A Victorian government spokesman said: “Given deeply held views on the subject, the parliament has established a Legislative Council Select Committee to examine recreational native bird hunting in Victoria.”

“We’ll wait for the Committee to do their work – which is due back to Government by the end of August.”

The final report from the duck hunting inquiry was due to be tabled by August 31.