SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Self-interest is at play as the Greens cosy up to rogue CFMEU

They must be feeling very itchy and scratchy in the Greens at present. Having laid down with the corrupt mutts of the CFMEU, the holier-than-thou Greens are looking decidedly flea-ridden.

This week, legislation was passed in Parliament to put the long-disgraced construction union into administration.

It wasn’t a strong enough response from Anthony Albanese. Back in the day, Bob Hawke had the guts to deregister the old Builders Labourers Federation. But we already all knew that Anthony Albanese is no Bob Hawke.

Anyway, putting the CFMEU into administration was better than nothing, especially after Labor caved in to 20 sensible improvements demanded by my Liberal colleague Michaelia Cash.

Ultimately, almost everyone voted for it. Not quite everyone. Everyone but the Greens voted for it.

Are you scratching your head trying to work out why? So is most of the rest of the Parliament.

The Greens love to be the moral arbiters of our time. I’ve sat through so many parliamentary debates listening to Greens senators lecturing with such moral superiority about the failures of the two major parties that I’ve often worried about the oxygen levels all the way up there on their extremely high pedestals.

But not on this occasion. In one Senate sitting day alone, the Greens voted on 14 occasions to protect the CFMEU. The Greens actually voted to weaken the proposed administration of this morally bankrupt union and in fact voted outright to oppose the administration.

Why?

Why would The Greens vote to keep John Setka and bikies in control of the CFMEU?

Why would the Greens vote to allow violence and intimidation on construction sites across Australia to continue?

Why would the Greens vote for a union that adopts tactics that put workers at risk; dramatically adding to construction costs, meaning we all pay more for hospitals, schools and housing?

Why? Because the Greens love for the CFMEU is part of “The 18 Year Plan for a Greens Government”.

That’s right, speaking of his grand plan, Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather has said, “If we’re going to win government we need to develop strong relationships with the construction union, and this has already started happening.”

Well, hello self-interest! Greens principles overboard as they cosy up to the CFMEU in search of electoral support.

Perhaps the Greens are attracted by the $6.2 million the CFMEU gave to Labor since Anthony Albanese became Labor leader.

The legislation to put the CFMEU into administration was prompted — finally — by the most egregious conduct of the construction union. Lawlessness, thuggery, misogyny, sexism, bullying and corruption.

As recently as this week the CFMEU has threatened to disrupt the construction of a Jewish community hub in Sydney. One report claims that they plan to bring pro-Palestine demonstrators to the protest. That’s bullying.

The CFMEU NSW boss, who has now resigned, has been seen in video footage allegedly bragging about influence over a construction company and taking cash kickbacks in another. That’s corruption.

Another recording of a comment allegedly made by the NSW boss captured him saying “we’ll be on that job next week, kicking the f..k out of them.” That’s thuggery.

Of course, Labor has been very late to the game here.

The shock from Labor to the extent of CFMEU’s tactics rings hollows.

All of this conduct could have been stamped out years ago if Labor and the Greens hadn’t continually blocked and weakened Liberal attempts to clean up this union.

Back in 2019 when the Coalition’s Ensuring Integrity Bill was being debated, there was much debate about the union’s tactics.

That debate highlighted that for the CFMEU, breaking industrial laws was just part of the price of doing business. It had broken industrial laws more than 2000 times in 15 years — about three times a week — and fined more than $16 million.

Judges had become exasperated by the CFMEU, with one declaring: “The CFMMEU has long demonstrated by its conduct that it pays little regard to compliance with the law and indeed has repeatedly sought to place itself above the law,” and another labelling the CFMEU: “The most recidivist corporate offender in Australian history.”

But Labor and the Greens happily ignored these legal judgments until media pressure finally forced Labor into some inadequate and belated action.

Which, remarkably, still begs the question of why the Greens refused to support even this limited action?

As always, if it doesn’t look right or sound right. It probably isn’t. Somebody better hand the Greens some flea treatment.

Simon Birmingham is the shadow foreign affairs minister