Published: 28 Nov 2016
Another critical week in the senate for the ABCC, and like clockwork, another round of charges has been dragged up from the past for re-examination. Nigel Hadgkiss is shameless in his politicisation of the FWBC.
National CFMEU Construction Secretary Dave Noonan said this week’s charges dredged up by the overtly political FWBC against CFMEU officials in Queensland, are a joke.
"There is nothing to these charges. The matter is almost four years old. The very expensive Royal Commission has previously investigated the matter. This case is being re-examined, with no hope of success in order to snare a cheap headline as the Government desperately tries to convince the crossbench that the ABCC is anything other than a gift to Property Developers." he said.
"The director of the FWBC, Nigel Hadgkiss has form when it comes to raising bogus charges against the union when it’s most politically convenient for the Liberal party."
Mr Noonan said that the habitual charging of CFMEU officials on very spurious grounds coinciding with the Turnbull Government’s desire to pass the ABCC bill, smacks of political interference.
"It is clear the FWBC is operating as the industrial wing of the Liberal Government and will do anything, no matter how overt and desperate, to help their political masters get the bill up."
“For a man who doesn’t keep a diary, Nigel Hadgkiss has an uncanny sense of when the Liberal party have anti-worker bills on the senate agenda.”
“Minister Cash ought to sack Hadgkiss for so blatantly using the taxpayer funded FWBC as a means to influence parliament whilst so obviously auditioning for her job,” he said.
"It’s grotesque that taxpayers are funding the FWBC to launch legal action against the union when it’s clear these cases are nothing but political theatre."