John Setka’s CFMEU splurged $195,000 on election donation

The CFMEU donated almost $200,000 to bankroll the council election campaign of a senior union official running for the City of Melbourne.

CFMEU official and Melbourne City Councillor Elizabeth Doidge. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The CFMEU donated almost $200,000 to bankroll the council election campaign of a senior union official running for the City of Melbourne.

The John Setka-led Victorian division signed off on the massive donation to help get union official Elizabeth Doidge — who The Australian revealed on Wednesday held talks with Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny — to the council in 2020.

The CFMEU’s $195,838.50 donation, one of the biggest made during the campaign, is listed as covering “printing and postage costs” in Ms Doidge’s election campaign donation disclosure.

Ms Doidge, described on a website as the CFMEU’s “political mastermind”, defended the CFMEU donation, saying it was directed to the “entire ticket” of candidates she was a member of.

“The CFMEU offered to make the donation in support of Jennifer Yang who was the (lord mayor) candidate, and myself as a young woman,” she told The Australian.

“Working people deserve representation across all levels of government.”

The emergence of the December 21, 2023, Kilkenny-Doidge meeting — listed as “CFMEU” and “introductory” in the minister’s official diary — has brought fresh scrutiny on the union’s access to ministers as the government remains in damage control over what it knew about allegations of union misconduct.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, Ms Kilkenny revealed that on October 14, 2022 an Indigenous business leader raised concerns with her about the CFMEU.

“At an event in my electorate I was told by the principal of a local Indigenous construction company that they had concerns about the behaviour of some CFMEU members,” she said.

“At the same event I verbally relayed this to Major Road Projects Victoria who were hosting the event.”

Ms Kilkenny also confirmed she had received an email dated March 28, 2020 from a concrete business located in her electorate that said it was “having issues with the CFMEU” and this was referred to the minister for industrial relations.

Former CFMEU state secretary John Setka. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

The Victorian Opposition used revelations about the Kilkenny-Doidge talks which, according to the minister’s diary discussed “planning portfolio-related matters”, to ramp up pressure on Premier Jacinta Allan over Labor’s links to the CFMEU.

Opposition leader John Pesutto called on Ms Allan to “clean up the CFMEU mess … which she is now wanting to cover up and bury” and called on her to release details of all meetings between ministers and CFMEU officials.

“(The Premier) should provide to the parliament a full transparent account of any meetings and conversations … or any other dealings between her ministers and CFMEU officials,” he said.

The CFMEU’s construction division will implement a national code of conduct for union delegates, after last week sacking eight Victorian delegates who were members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, or closely affiliated with them.

In an update to members on Wednesday, CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith confirmed he had appointed a lawyer, understood to be Peter Morrissey, SC, to investigate recent allegations against the union.

He said he expected to receive an application from the Fair Work Commission in coming days to place a number of the union’s branches into administration.

Mr Smith said some of the allegations against the union were “misleading and false, but I should also be clear about this: some are deeply worrying and warrant investigation”.

Ms Doidge is a close supporter of Mr Setka and after her election to the City of Melbourne show paid tribute to the controversial state secretary, lauding him as “fantastic industry leader”.

“I know that John Setka hasn’t received the greatest media in the last year, and I’ll be very proud to set that record straight,” she said in 2020.

A website set up to celebrate Ms Doidge’s marriage to CFMEU official Joey Myles describes the CFMEU senior adviser as a “political mastermind” who “consistently excelled in everything she puts her mind to”.

“Elizabeth’s acquired skills … have made her a powerful force in her role as a political mastermind at the CFMEU,” the website states.

“Her remarkable patience effortlessly complements her exceptional communication skills, allowing her to navigate even the most challenging circumstances with ease.”