CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

Setka forks out $40k of members’ funds on ad

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 26-Sep-19

Embattled Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union official John Setka has criticised senator Jacqui Lambie in a full-page advertisement in the ‘Herald Sun’. Lambie has signalled that she will support the federal government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill unless Setka steps down as Victorian secretary of the CFMMEU. Setka has accused her of attempting to blackmail himself and the union’s members. A spokesman for Setka says the ad was "union business", so it was funded by the CFMMEU rather than Setka.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Dark clouds over construction

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 29-Aug-19

Westpac economist Andrew Hanlan has warned that the downturn in Australia’s construction sector will have weighed on GDP growth in the June quarter. The latest GDP data will be released in early September, and analysts have forecast that the economy grew by just 1.2 per cent in the year to June, which would be its lowest rate of growth since the global financial crisis. Official data shows that construction activity fell by 3.8 per cent in the June quarter, including a 5.1 per cent decline in residential construction.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Red flags for deal that underpaid workers ignored

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 26-Aug-19

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has successfully challenged the Fair Work Commission’s decision to approve an enterprise agreement at A1 Earthworx Mining & Civil. The full bench of the FWC overturned the agreement after ruling that some staff would have been paid at 3.8 per cent below the award rates and it would have limited the employees’ access to Sunday penalty rates. The agreement had been approved by deputy president Geoff Bull, who has been ordered to reconsider the agreement.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, A1 EARTHWORX MINING AND CIVIL

Union’s EBA push for indigenous voice

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 3 : 5-Aug-19

Menzies Research Centre director Nick Cater has criticised the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s proposed enterprise bargaining agreement with subcontractor Gabba Waterproofing. It includes a First Nations People clause, which amongst other things requires the subcontractor to hold ‘welcome to country’ ceremonies when the number of workers on the North Queensland Stadium project reaches 20. Cater says the CFMMEU’s demands are all about union turf wars rather than Aboriginal land rights. The EBA was lodged with the Fair Work Commission in July.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, GABBA WATERPROOFING PTY LTD, THE MENZIES RESEARCH CENTRE LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Setka power play: brutal and radical

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Original article by David Penberthy
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Aug-19

The Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been accused of ‘infiltrating’ the militant union’s South Australian branch, with a view to taking it over. Aaron Cartledge was the CFMMU’s SA secretary until 2018, when he was forced out of the role he had held for six years. He notes that prosecutions against the state branch for breaching workplace laws have increased significantly since Victorian officials began exerting their influence. Victorian state secretary John Setka has not responded to Cartledge’s allegations.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, MASTER BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Building slowdown tipped to hit bottom in 2019-20

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Original article by Nick Lenaghan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 29-Jul-19

New building starts are expected to fall by eight per cent in 2019-20, according to BIS Oxford Economics, having fallen by an estimated 12 per cent in 2018-19. An improvement in non-residential construction in 2019-20 is tipped to be outweighed by a decline in residential activity. However, BIS Oxford Economics expects building activity to rebound in 2020-21 and the years beyond, as factors such as new first-home buyer stimulus programs and cuts to interest rates help to generate a recovery in the market.

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BIS OXFORD ECONOMICS PTY LTD

Lambie piles pressure on Setka to quit CFMEU

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 25-Jul-19

The federal government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill is slated to be put before the Senate later in 2019. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has indicated that she may be prepared to vote for the bill if John Setka does not step down as the Victorian secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union. Lambie has raised her concerns about Setka with ACTU president Michele O’Neil. The government has amended the bill in response to concerns raised by Labor, but Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick believes that further changes are needed.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, ONE NATION PARTY

Setka in court bid to block ALP’s axe

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Original article by Tessa Akerman
The Australian – Page: 5 : 5-Jul-19

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union official John Setka is seeking an injunction against Labor’s national executive, which wants to expel him from the party. Labor leader Anthony Albanese claims that Setka’s conduct in recent years has been unacceptable, and he must be expelled to prevent further damage to the party’s reputation. Setka in turn alleges that being expelled from Labor would damage his own reputation and could result in the loss of his position as Victorian secretary of the CFMMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA

CFMEU battles developer of Adelaide tower

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 2-Jul-19

The militant Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union alleges that property developer Kyren Group prevented union organisers from entering a building site to investigate workplace safety issues. The CFMMEU claims that the company’s actions constituted ‘unlawful picket action’ under laws introduced by the Coalition in 2016. The union’s statement of claim in the Federal Court also alleges that the site manager’s behaviour made the organisers feel ‘intimidated and threatened’.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, KYREN GROUP, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Albanese’s letter details the Setka sins hurting Labor

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 24-Jun-19

Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese wants its national executive to expel CFMMEU Victorian secretary John Setka from the party when it meets on 5 July. Albanese has written to Labor’s national secretary Noah Carroll outlining the reasons why he thinks Setka should be expelled. Albanese says that Setka’s conduct in recent years has caused harm to Labor, as has the negative media coverage of his actions. Albanese says that Labor has "critical work" to do on behalf of Australians, and that it cannot be distracted from its goals.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA