Sellout Labor a puppet of CFMEU: Cash

Labor has abandoned all principle as puppets of the construction union, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash says.

Federal Labor has “abandoned all principle” as the “puppets” of the construction union, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash declared yesterday, as the milit­ant union’s national leader Mich­ael O’Connor was named in a Federal Circuit Court suit alleging breaches of Fair Work laws.

In some of her most severe criticism of the ties between Labor and the CFMEU, Senator Cash slammed the opposition for rejecting a Coalition bill to restore the powerful Australian Building and Construction Commission industry regulator.

“Labor has abandoned construction industry workers in order to protect the bullies that control the construction division of the CFMEU and bankroll the Labor Party,” she told The Australian.

“In its willingness to be the puppets of the CFMEU, Labor has abandoned all principle.”

Her statements came after Mr O’Connor, the brother of federal Labor’s workplace spokesman Brendan O’Connor, was one of 13 unionists alleged to have conduct­ed unlawful industrial action in court documents filed by Fair Work Building and Construction late on Friday.

The FWBC claim targets the CFMEU and its NSW branch, Mr O’Connor and CFMEU NSW branch boss Brian Parker, who was referred to police prosecut­ors for alleged perjury at the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corrupt­ion. NSW branch president Rita Mallia was also named in the suite, alongside organisers Darren­ Greenfield — who has also been referred to the law over allegations aired at the Heydon royal commission — and Luke Collier, who is in jail for assault.

The Coalition is in a fervent lobbying bid to convince crossbench senators to support the ABCC bill.

The CFMEU’s head of construction, Dave Noonan, said yesterday the alleg­ations against the union were “bullshit”. He also accused FWBC director Nigel Hadgkiss of politicising his office, saying he should “run for a seat in the federal Liberal Party”.

“We will be writing to the Commonwealth Ombudsman, asking the Ombudsan to look at the timing and the conduct of the FWBC in this matter, which itself will be vigorously defended,” Mr Noonan said. “We regard it as a bullshit allegation made for entirely­ political purposes.”

The war of words erupted after the FWBC announced it had lodged the claim over an alleged­ blockade of a Sydney concrete pumping firm subcontracted to Lend Lease and Mirvac at sites including the high-profile Barangaroo project.

In a statement, Mr Hadgkiss said: “It’s unjustifiable for a worker­ to be subjected to insults and abuse for simply trying to do their job.” A hearing is scheduled for March 9.