Disgraced former union boss John Setka charged with threatening CFMEU administrator
The former CFMEU boss was arrested at his Melbourne home and charged with allegedly sending threatening and harassing emails to the union’s administrator.
Former Victorian CFMEU leader John Setka has been charged after allegedly sending threatening emails to the government-appointed union administrator following demands he produce documents in relation to one of its probes.
The arrest and charging of Mr Setka with seven counts of using a telecom communications device to menace, harass and offend came as its current Victorian leader, Zach Smith, announced voluntary redundancies and potential sackings of branch organisers.
Union sources said senior Construction Forestry and Maritime Employees Union official Steve Long resigned from the union on Tuesday amid reported corruption and conflict of interest allegations that he has denied.
His departure follows last month’s sackings of veteran CFMEU organiser John Perkovic for allegedly taking bribes and secret benefits from employers, and Steven Deer, the head of the union’s training arm, who has been charged by police with falsifying invoices.
Detectives from Taskforce Hawk charged Mr Setka on Wednesday as part of a probe into allegedly threatening and harassing emails he sent to CFMEU administrator Mark Irving.
Investigators will allege Mr Setka sent the emails in response to the administrator’s notice to produce material, and a follow-up letter a day later.
Sources said the demands to Mr Setka related to Mr Irving’s probe into a so-called union “slush” fund known as the Building Industry 2000 fund.
After arriving at Mr Setka’s residence in the west Melbourne suburb of Footscray, detectives seized a mobile phone and an iPad.
Mr Setka was arrested about 6.40am, interviewed by investigators and charged with the seven counts before being bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 30, 2026.
Operation Hawk was established in July 2024 to specifically target criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry and transitioned to Taskforce Hawk in June 2025.
Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said the taskforce “will investigate any and all criminal behaviour linked to the construction industry – be that extortions, arsons, serious violent offending or threatening and harassing communications”.
“We will not tolerate behaviour that aims to intimidate and harass people who simply want to be able to go to work and perform their job to the best of their ability,” he said. “We could encourage anyone that has any information on concerning behaviours witnessed in any construction industry workplace to come forward and speak to police. As always, it can be done anonymously and reports will be treated with the strictest of confidence.”
After Mr Setka resigned last year amid allegations the union had been infiltrated by organised crime figures and outlaw bikies, the Albanese government put the union’s construction division into administration.
Meanwhile, following a competition watchdog probe, John Holland and the union’s NSW branch have agreed to terminate agreements requiring the construction giant to use only three labour hire businesses on two major projects in NSW.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission had been concerned the agreements prevented other labour hire businesses from competing for work on the M1 Pacific Motorway Extension project and the M7–M12 integration project.
John Holland has agreed not to make any agreements with unions in future that would limit its choice of labour hire companies or create certain preferential arrangements.
John Holland has also committed to implementing a competition law compliance assessment when reviewing agreements with unions, and undertaking staff training on the application of competition law in industrial relations. “Genuine competition relies on businesses making independent decisions, and suppliers competing vigorously to get work,” ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
