John Setka’s ‘unlawful’ rally at worksite sparks police referral

A former union heavyweight is set for a showdown with police after his expletive-laden address to workers at a hospital worksite.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan says she referred embattled ex-CFMEU boss John Setka to police after he gave an expletive-ridden address to workers on a site at Melbourne’s Footscray Hospital and attended another major worksite on Thursday morning.

Ms Allan said Mr Setka, who resigned in July amid allegations his union was tied to criminal gangs, was on the sites unlawfully” and “the matter has been referred to Victoria Police for their further investigation”.

Mr Setka is not personally accused of any involvement in criminal gangs and no charges have been laid in relation to Thursday’s incident.

“In terms of who attends worksites there are well-established processes here and it is the government’s expectation that those building industry companies manage this process appropriately, which is clearly not what happened in these incidents over the past 24 hours,” Ms Allan told reporters.

Ex-CFMEU boss John Setka has been referred to Victoria Police after he ‘unlawfully’ accessed two work sites. Supplied

Victoria Police confirmed it “received a verbal briefing from the Police Minister’s office about a pending referral regarding a former union official”.

“Victoria Police will assess the matter once details are provided,” it said.

Mr Setka’s appearance at Footscray Hospital on Wednesday caused quite a stir.

Works at the hospital are entirely funded by the federal and Victorian state governments to the tune of $1.5bn.

During his remarks, he provided some insight into the circumstances of his resignation, telling workers he offered himself up as “a scalp”.

“People sort of asked why I resigned and I’m going to be honest with youse, f***ing Albo, and his f***ing bullshit,” he said.

“My job is to protect the union and its members. I’m going to be gone in a few months.

“They want a scalp, f***ing I’ll give them a scalp, I don’t give a sh*t.”

The Fair Work Ombudsman said it was also investigating Mr Setka’s visit to the site.