Sally McManus says trade union council had ‘no idea of alleged infiltration by criminal elements’ of CFMEU
The secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Sally McManus, spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning about the allegations against the CFMEU.
Responding to accusations that her union was previously aware of allegations against the CFMEU, McManus said “we had no idea of the alleged infiltration by criminal elements” and added:
How come [the media] needed a nine-month investigation? How come the police haven’t been talking about this? How come [you’re] expecting that we would know that, when the people with all of the resources – all of the resources – weren’t saying it?
It’s one thing for people to say, ‘oh, we knew it’ or this or that, or ‘why didn’t they go to the police’? That’s what I would say: if we had known, if we had of known there were [alleged] criminal elements in that union, that’s exactly what we would have done. And now that we do, we will fight it.
Key events
Well-known Aussie wine brands offloaded by French owner
Some of Australia’s best-known wine brands have been offloaded by their French owner to a consortium with strong local links, AAP reports.
Pernod Ricard announced overnight in Paris the sale of most of its portfolio of international wine brands, including the Barossa Valley-based Jacob’s Creek, Orlando and St Hugo.
The buyer is Australian Wine Holdco Limited, a consortium of international institutional investors whose backers include the private equity firm Bain Capital.
The consortium also owns Accolade Wines, one of the world’s biggest wine companies, which holds the Hardys, Grant Burge, and Petaluma brands among others.
The sale is due to be completed in the first half of 2025.
Peter Hannam
Jobs figures to offer update on economy’s health and pointers for RBA
Later this morning, we’ll get the June labour market figures from the ABS, which will be one of the major economic figures this side of the RBA’s 5-6 August board meeting to decide on the interest rate.
Economists’ consensus is for the jobless rate to tick up to 4.1% last month from 4% in June (or the level it previously touched in January and April). The economy probably added 20,000 jobs, or about half the level of May and about half the rate the workforce is swelling.
However, there are always a few moving parts to consider to know if the results are good or bad signs for the economy’s health. Revisions for May can make it look like the June unemployment rate has risen or fallen, and a shift in part-time jobs can appear to nullify full-time movements (which is why we usually give the latter more heed).
The participation rate can also fluctuate, adding to the nuance, as can the number of hours worked.
And, of course, beyond the news fizz are the livelihoods of people, many of whom are hoping to stay in work to be able to meet rising costs like rents and debt repayments. (The RBA has a twin mandate, too, of keeping the economy as close to full employment as possible without stoking inflation.)
In the background, the odds of an August RBA rate rise have been quietly ebbing and now are less than one-in-five, according to the ASX. We’ll see how that might change after 11.30am Aedt when the numbers land (including right here on this blog).
Nuclear reactors taking decades to build ‘not acceptable’ for people in the Hunter, says local MP
One of the seven sites the Coalition has proposed for a nuclear reactor, if elected, is in the Hunter region of New South Wales.
The local member, Labor MP Dan Repacholi, spoke with the Today Show earlier about this and said it would “absolutely destroy” farming in the region.
What’s that going to do to the farming right here in the Hunter? Like the meat produce, the chicken? It’s just going to absolutely destroy it.
So I’m not against nuclear energy, right, and let me get that straight out there. What I’m against is the most expensive form of energy, and the fact that it’ll take 20 to 30 years to build, and that’s not acceptable for people in the Hunter.
The proposed nuclear reactor site in the Hunter is the only location put forward by the Coalition in a Labor-held seat. One is held by a former Nationals turned independent, and the rest are in Coalition seats.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian Greens say Labor move to demolish public housing ‘a callous betrayal’ of residents
The Victorian Greens have slammed the state government’s decision to sign a contract for demolition works at three public housing towers subject to a class action – as reported by Guardian Australia this morning.
The Greens’ spokesperson for public housing, Samantha Ratnam, said Labor has previously used the awarding of demolition contracts to force residents to leave their homes using the threat of eviction and legal proceedings.
She said the move shows a “complete disregard for the existing class action and is a callous betrayal of residents still living in the buildings”.
Labor steamrolling ahead with this demolition and privatisation plan completely undermines the rights of residents who are being forced from their homes. People have called these towers home for decades and yet Labor is determined to rip these communities apart.
Here’s our full report:
Melburnians’ quality of life plummeting, according to new report
More than a third of Melburnians feel their quality of life has worsened over the past 12 months, despite most enjoying living in the city, AAP reports.
The insight comes as part of the committee for Melbourne and Ipsos’s living in Melbourne 2024 report, which was released today. It quizzed 1,000 Melburnians and found even though 81% are satisfied with living in the city’s metro area, 37% feel their quality of life has worsened over the past 12 months.
Melbourne’s sprawling suburbs are creating challenges for residents, according to the survey, with 72% using cars of transport to travel to and from work or study. This is compared with lower rates of commuting by trains (36%), trams (28%) and buses (16%).
64% of respondents rated the state government’s extensive future public transport projects as a crucial factor in choosing where to live.
The committee for Melbourne’s chief executive, Mark Melvin, said Melburnians’ priorities for the city include safety, cost of living and affordable housing.
The overarching message from the data is that Melburnians love their city and this is reflected in the attitudes. But, the elements which make Melbourne a great place to live could increasingly become under strain, with signs that the city’s lifestyle options are increasingly becoming harder for people living outside the inner suburbs to access.
Two thirds of those surveyed are more supportive of accommodating new housing in outer areas of the city. This compared with just less than half supporting increased density in established, inner-city Melbourne suburbs.
Animal testing to be reined in with medical tech push
A state-first network of experts will be set up to develop technology to help cut out the use of animals in medical research and deliver better treatments for patients in New South Wales, AAP reports.
The non-animal technologies network will be set up with $4.5m of state government funding to explore alternatives to animal testing. It will investigate options such as the use of human cells or tissues in place of animal trials during the development of drugs and other medical advances.
Non-animal technology is starting to exceed the performance of animal models through the use of human material that was biologically similar to the patients being treated, the government said in a statement.
The funding will support competitive research grants and a working group to develop regulations, in addition to financing the establishment of the network.
McManus says Liberal focus on ABCC ‘trying to make this a union-bashing exercise’
Why not give the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) more powers if there is something systemic going on within the industry, as suggested by the shadow treasurer earlier? Sally McManus responded:
The Liberals were just focused on trying to make this a union-bashing exercise instead of actually addressing the issue here.
The ABCC … why was it focused on … flags and stickers on hard hats and not focused on these particular issues?
That organisation was there for a long period of time and we can see it was completely ineffectual because it was about politics, not about what the actual issues are.
The ABCC was abolished in 2023 and had enforced workplace relations compliance in the building and construction sector. Its powers were transferred to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Asked if there should then be a criminal body, McManus responded: “There’s the police.”
And asked if she was worried about her personal safety, Sally McManus said a few people have raised this with her, but she will “do what’s necessary [to] stand up against this behaviour, and we will fight to ensure that construction workers get the union they deserve.”
McManus says it could take years for CFMEU to investigate allegations
Q: How damaging is this for the union movement?
Sally McManus responded:
Some people in that union have been putting their own personal interests before the rest of the movement for quite a while, [but] the average union member in our country is a 46-year-old nurse…
That’s why we kick those people out and we will continue to uphold that, every single day. Australia needs a strong principle[d] trade union.
She suggested it could take “years” for the union to investigate and address allegations and concerns.
Sally McManus says trade union council had ‘no idea of alleged infiltration by criminal elements’ of CFMEU
The secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Sally McManus, spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning about the allegations against the CFMEU.
Responding to accusations that her union was previously aware of allegations against the CFMEU, McManus said “we had no idea of the alleged infiltration by criminal elements” and added:
How come [the media] needed a nine-month investigation? How come the police haven’t been talking about this? How come [you’re] expecting that we would know that, when the people with all of the resources – all of the resources – weren’t saying it?
It’s one thing for people to say, ‘oh, we knew it’ or this or that, or ‘why didn’t they go to the police’? That’s what I would say: if we had known, if we had of known there were [alleged] criminal elements in that union, that’s exactly what we would have done. And now that we do, we will fight it.
Murray Watt flags support for Labor suspending donations from CFMEU’s construction arm
As we flagged earlier, Bill Shorten was on 7.30 last night and said he expects the national executive of the Labor party to suspend political donations from the construction arm of the CFMEU during a meeting today.
The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, was on ABC News Breakfast earlier and was asked if he would support the move.
Yeah, I would certainly expect the national executive of the Labor party to be making moves in that direction this morning, and that would have my full support.
Source link