The scandal surrounding the CFMEU threatens to derail Anthony Albanese’s re-election campaign.
The prime minister is due to face voters before May next year, but had hoped to go to the polls this year, possibly by the end of next month, before the economic news worsened.
But that strategy may come to nothing as the left-wing and unreliable construction union faces accusations ranging from bribe-taking to money laundering and links to organised crime.
The allegations are still unproven, but the evidence is mounting and the stench is getting worse by the day.
It is almost embarrassing to see a conga line of Labour politicians parade in front of cameras and microphones to declare with their hand on their hearts that they had no idea the union was in such deep trouble.
If that were true, it would only serve to highlight his willful blindness.
The actions of the CFMEU have long been controversial, and question marks surrounding its conduct as a Labour-affiliated union have been the worst kept secret in the corridors of power for many years.
Labour is now seeking to isolate the CFMEU by disassociating it from the party, but it is too little, too late. That should have happened a generation ago.
The scandal surrounding the CFMEU threatens to derail Anthony Albanese’s re-election campaign, writes Peter van Onselen
Labor leaders from premiers to the prime minister have been happy to receive millions of dollars in campaign donations from the union.
The left faction within the party has used its links with the CFMEU to place more of its people in state and federal parliaments.
Helping the left take control of state divisions such as the Victorian Labor Party, where the CFMEU is strongest and, supposedly, most questionable.
The Prime Minister and the ACTU have so far resisted calls for the CFMEU to be formally deregistered.
Union leaders, both state and federal, are saying they will not accept any more donations from the scandal-ridden union. That is not enough. What about the many millions they have already received?
Trade unions, both at state and federal level, should donate money received from the CFMEU (potentially crime-fuelled funding) to charities where it can do some good.
But that won’t happen because Labour has relied on potentially ill-gotten gains for its electoral success in recent years.
So the two important things that Labor and the ACTU could do – deregistering the CFMEU and returning donations received to charities – simply cannot be done.
Instead, they will puff out their chests and complain about what the union has done. They will express their disgust. They will say that they are going to cut ties between the union and the Labour Party. These are all mere gestures designed to put the scandal behind them.
In his press briefing this morning, the Prime Minister even attempted to blame the CFMEU’s failures on the Coalition, because some of the events occurred during his time in office.
Are you serious? Does this prime minister have no shame at all?
The CFMEU has long been affiliated with the Labor Party, with former union officials entering parliament on Labor’s behalf, donating millions of dollars to the party, using its factional influence to win preselections for candidates who support it, and playing a role in securing leadership positions for those same supporters where possible.
CFMEU union members stage a protest to prevent access to a construction site in Brisbane, above
And Albo is trying to shift the problems within the union to the Coalition? How ridiculous!
The rhetorical gymnastics are actually a sign that Albo does not take the problems within the union seriously, if he is willing to make such an absurd claim.
It is a sign that what he cares about is political positioning in relation to the union and not the serious work of taking responsibility for what a union linked to his party has done, as the most senior figure in the Labour Party in the country.
The Labour Party is likely to win the next election despite a growing list of scandals and problems during its first term.
But only because Australians are historically a generous people and give incumbent governments a second chance by re-electing them. This has been the case since 1931, the last time a first-term government lost a re-election.
So Albo will get a second term, that is my prediction, but he and his party are doing everything they can to put that historic record at risk.
(tags to translate)dailymail
