Climate of unrest out on the left

A CFMEU official urged Anthony Albanese to endorse Joel Fitzgibbon’s climate change and energy proposals while condemning Labor MPs.

Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

A senior official at the CFMEU has urged Anthony Albanese to endorse Joel Fitzgibbon’s climate change and energy proposals while condemning Labor MPs who were “too damn scared” to publicly support the Hunter MP.

Peter Jordan, the president of the CFMEU’s NSW energy and northern mining division — a key support base of the Opposition Leader — said “some of Labor’s policies are anti jobs” and declared the party was destined for “a hiding out there in the electorate” unless it changed strategy.

He spoke out after an “unbelievable” alliance was struck between the Labor Environment Action Network and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union which will promote renewables jobs in the Hunter Valley.

The CFMEU and AMWU are both Left faction unions.

Mr Jordan took aim at opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler and assistant energy spokesman Pat Conroy for “running around the countryside supporting the Greens view on life” after they endorsed the AMWU’s alliance with LEAN.

“Unless (Mr Butler) starts to be a bit more pro job and stop driving Labor and their policies in the direction that he believes, then at the end of the day we don’t support his view whatsoever,” Mr Jordan said.

“Joel is all about setting up a better direction for Labor where they can be more competitive in the future about winning government. But Labor just appears to be pandering to some of these Left environmental groups.

“We support the positions that Joel has adopted, we support the positions that Joel has been out there in the public presenting to the electorates. And we call on Albo and others to get behind and support Joel as a party rather than leaving him on his own.”

Mr Jordan said there were “quite a lot” of Labor MPs who privately told him they supported Mr Fitzgibbon’s proposals on climate change, coal and gas but would not speak publicly.

“Some of them are too damned scared to come out and support him publicly,” he said.

“Quietly they will say to you that they don’t want to be in ­opposition for the rest of their bloody lives.”

Mr Fitzgibbon and Mr Conroy, Labor’s most senior Hunter Valley MPs, were in open warfare on Sunday after AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy unveiled the alliance with LEAN.

“We don’t need these people consistently and constantly pulling us to the far Left,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Sky News.

“This is the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union in bed with green left-wing groups who are anti coal … (and) we can’t have a manufacturing sector without gas.”

Mr Conroy, who represents the seat of Shortland, hit back at Mr Fitzgibbon and declared the AMWU’s “constructive leadership is completely consistent with Labor’s agenda”.

Mr Conroy said he respected Mr Jordan “immensely” as a “great union official” but disagreed with him on climate change policy. Mr Butler declined to comment.

The Right faction Australian Workers Union has backed Mr Fitzgibbon‘s criticisms of LEAN and also supported his push for Labor to adopt the Coalition’s 2030 emission reduction targets or have no medium-term target.