PETER VAN ONSELEN: There are only two explanations for how the CFMEU got away with its thuggery under Jacinta Allan’s nose for a decade, and both mean she has to go.

Jacinta Allan needs to step aside as Premier of Victoria.

The growing threats of violence and links to outlaw bikie gangs within the Victorian branch of the CFMEU occurred right under Allan’s nose during her time as Infrastructure Minister before becoming Premier.

If she doesn’t take political responsibility, no one else will.

During her time as Infrastructure Minister, Allan maintained very close ties to and oversaw the CFMEU, and political donations to the Labor Party were heavy and fast. Hundreds of thousands of dollars helped re-elect the new Prime Minister and her government. In addition, the CFMEU operates within her faction, as the union’s main power broker.

Allan has finally declared that no more donations will be accepted from the CFMEU, but what if he promises to return the funds already received? That is probably too virtuous for this compromised Prime Minister.

The best-case scenario for Allan is that she knew nothing of what was going on under her nose for a decade as the minister most closely associated with the corrupt CFMEU while responsible for major construction projects in Melbourne.

Do the Victorians really want someone so incompetent running their state?

All this mess is the best-case scenario for Allan. The worst-case scenario is much more worrying.

Former Victorian CFMEU leader John Setka (left) has resigned following investigations into a powerful branch

Anthony Albanese deserves credit for expelling former Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka from the Labor Party in 2019, albeit for entirely different reasons. But that is where Albo’s actions began and ended. They were window dressing.

In terms of policy, Albo allowed his ministers to recalibrate the rules in favour of the CFMEU, contributing to the disaster we are now witnessing.

Allegations of corruption within the militant union on construction sites continued to surface, but oversight mechanisms to deal with them had been removed. And of course, political donations continued to flow, both to the ACTU and the Labor Party.

CFMEU national leader Zach Smith has dismissed mounting evidence condemning the state branch of the union he heads, calling it “fair accusations.” He said Setka’s departure “leaves an impressive industrial legacy.”

The stench of Labour and CFMEU affiliations is now so pervasive that only a fully independent inquiry has any chance of uncovering the truth. However, Allan has already dismissed rumours of a Royal Commission. How curious.

The CFMEU National Secretary wants to conduct the investigation internally, a ridiculous suggestion if ever there was one.

ACTU director Sally McManus is opposed to deregistering the CFMEU, which is not surprising given that its substantial donations largely flow through her organisation.

In trade union circles money is king and the CFMEU has plenty of it. That is why the Labour Party is always keen to abolish building control bodies as soon as it forms a government.

CFMEU activist faces mounting pressure for independent investigation

At the federal level, Kevin Rudd’s government abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) that John Howard created after winning the 2007 election. Surprise, surprise, trouble averted.

When the Victorian Labor Party returned to power under the leadership of Dan Andrews in 2014, it abolished the state watchdog that the outgoing Liberal government had created – the Consultation Code Compliance Commission. It was the first act of the new Labor government, which did so at the urging of Setka and his union.

At the federal level, the Albanian government abolished the ABCC again when it won the 2022 election, after Malcolm Turnbull had reinstated it just a few years earlier.

The political ping-pong game between the major parties regarding oversight arrangements for the construction sector must end. The first step is not just the removal of compromised union officials, but the removal of compromised politicians who have thrived under a status quo that stinks from the rooftops.

Allan is one of those political figures who simply must go.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus (pictured) opposes deregistration of the CFMEU despite all allegations

Adding to her failures over the CFMEU is her role as the minister responsible for the 2026 Commonwealth Games bid. When that failed, she left Victorian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars out of pocket. The incompetence of this entire saga is another blot on her record.

While it is inconvenient for the Victorian Labor Party to seek a new premier so soon after appointing the current one, it has no choice.

If Allan’s involvement in the Victorian building mess was nothing more than sheer incompetence, such that he knew nothing despite his ministerial role, he must go. If it was all driven by a deliberate attitude of turning a blind eye to irregularities, then that must also be investigated.

If Allan’s slowness to act, for whatever reason, is not limited to herself but extends to the federal workforce as well, more heads should roll, no matter how far up the hierarchy that responsibility goes.