Karl Stefanovic has criticised the head of a construction union, accusing him of “covering up” “alleged corruption” within the organisation in a harsh interview on live television.
In a heated exchange on Tuesday morning, the Today presenter took aim at the national secretary of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU), Zach Smith.
“How long have you been covering up your union’s alleged corruption?” he asked Mr. Smith.
The organisation’s Victorian branch faces ongoing allegations of intimidation, union violence and the employment of bikers and people with links to organised crime on government-funded construction sites, following an investigation by Nine Media.
Former Victorian CFMEU state secretary John Setka also resigned from his position on Friday, though he denied the allegations and said the “malicious attacks” had done nothing but “damage the work this great union does for its members”.
Mr Smith, however, maintained that “the union has not covered anything up” and said “there is no place for criminality in our union”.
He also said the CFMEU had placed its Victorian branch under administration and appointed an independent investigator to test the claims.
However, Stefanovic responded to the attack, saying: “You’re essentially adopting the ‘I don’t know anything’ defence. It’s unbelievable.”
Today, presenter Karl Stefanovic (pictured) launched a scathing attack on embattled CFMEU boss Zach Smith, accusing him of “covering up” the organisation’s “alleged corruption”.
Mr Smith then accused Stefanovic of “putting words in my mouth” and said the union needed to have processes that “offered people the presumption of innocence and procedural fairness”.
“That doesn’t accurately reflect what I said,” Smith added.
Further explosive claims published by Nine Media on Tuesday revealed that both Victoria’s then Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan and Premier Anthony Albanese received letters detailing alleged violence and intimidation from the CFMEU in 2022.
Claims by an indigenous labor contracting firm also detailed incidents in which officials barred non-union companies from participating in major state and federal construction projects.
Nine newspapers revealed that Albanese’s office did not respond to the letter, but Allan took a year to respond and referred the allegations to the federal government.
Now Labour is facing increasing pressure to end CFMEU political donations, with Ms Allan announcing a ban.
The CFMEU faces allegations of intimidation, union violence and employing bikers and people with links to organised crime in government workplaces (pictured: Mr Smith)
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Australian Labor Party executive would consider the move at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, as well as other sanctions against the CFMEU.
The union has only been suspended from the ALP in Victoria, and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas is reported to be advocating similar action in his state.
“It’s a matter for the party and obviously it will be considered in due course,” Conroy said.
“What I’m focused on… is what we can do as a federal government to stamp out the kind of behaviour that’s been reported and that’s why (Industrial Relations Minister) Tony Burke has asked his department for options and all options are on the table, including deregistering the union.”
