John Setka tatt’s fighting talk…but CFMEU official Michael Greenfield resigns

CFMEU NSW assistant secretary Michael Greenfield has ­resigned, while the former Victorian boss John Setka gets a new tattoo.

Controversial former union boss John Setka shows off his new CFMEU tattoo.

CFMEU NSW assistant secretary Michael Greenfield has ­resigned, claiming weeks of “sensationalist media reporting and relentless government scrutiny” had placed “unbearable pressure on his family”.

Mr Greenfield and his father, Darren Greenfield, the union’s NSW branch secretary, were charged in 2021 for allegedly taking bribes from a construction firm in exchange for favourable treatment from the union.

Michael Greenfield said on Monday that he had always maintained his innocence in relation to the bribery charges, criticising attempts to “inflate and agitate matters that had been public knowledge since 2021”.

Tendering his resignation, he said “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”.

Daren Greenfield remains in his position but he appears likely to lose his job once the federal government passes laws to appoint an administrator over the union’s construction divisions.

The resignation came as a social media post emerged showing former CFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka with a new tattoo that reads “God Forgives The CFMEU Doesnt”.

The government bid to place the CFMEU’s construction divisions into administration for three years faces delay after the Coalition called for a Senate inquiry into the bill and the Greens said it wanted more time to consider the proposed legislation.

Introduced on Monday by Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt, the bill would hand strong powers to an administrator over the union’s affairs, including suspension or removal of officers, expulsion of members and disqualification of officials for up to five years, and heavy penalties for officials not handing over documents.

The administrator would take control of the union’s property holdings and be able to sell any property if desired. The cost of the administration would be met by the CFMEU.

Senator Watt told the Senate that serious allegations had been made since last month about the conduct of some members and associates of the CFMEU’s construction division. “There is no place for criminality or corruption in the construction industry and bullying, thuggery and intimidation is unacceptable in any workplace,” he said.

Opposition employment spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the Coalition would refer the bill to a Senate inquiry, claiming “serious amendments” were required

Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn urged all parties to support the legislation to help “stamp out” unlawful behaviour.

“Calls for yet another review or inquiry, while well intentioned, will not help government, law enforcement and regulators get on with the job, because we already know what the problems are, how they arise, and how to fix them,” Ms Wawn said.