QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS

Senator SHELDON (New South Wales—Chief Government Whip in the Senate) (15:43): I will take the questions regarding the CFMEU. What those opposite don't really say when they have conversations about what's happening with the administrator and the CFMEU is that they said consistently that they want the ABCC put in place. Well, the strongest action in this industry has been taken by the administrator of the CFMEU.

We've seen 60 people put out of positions and replaced—senior officers and senior staff turned around and replaced to make sure that democracy is brought back to that union but also to make sure that the criminal activity of individuals is held to account. What you also see is the dud approach about the ABCC. We're seeing these movements, and we're seeing great examples.

Nick McKenzie, the journalist who was on 60 Minutes and is, of course, a well-known writer, made comments about some of the fantastic work that Michael Crosby, the administrator in New South Wales, for example, has been doing and talked on 60 Minutes about the work being done in making sure that companies—you see, this is a theme. You never hear those opposite talk about the companies in the construction industry that are offering bribes and ripping off workers or about the people that have taken $320 million in wage theft per year.

You don't hear about them. You don't hear about the $432 million stolen from superannuation that the ATO has reported. You don't hear about all the occasions of sham contracting work that's been done.

But back to Michael Crosby, the administrator of New South Wales—Mr Crosby, there, turned around and said, on 60 Minutes, he's taking on a company called Future Form. A provisional report compiled by the CFMEU administrator outlines suspicions that Future Form may have been involved in firebombings and repeated threats aimed at the family of a union official investigating the company over worker mistreatment at the rail project servicing the Badgerys Creek airport.

Crosby himself on 60 Minutes said, 'They're responsible for the attacks on our organiser,' when his house was actually firebombed and menacing demands were allegedly made through an associate. Mr Watson has said that there are concerns that Future Form engaged in systematic worker exploitation—denying employees lawful rates of pay, superannuation and income protection entitlements—and sham contracting.

What the administrator is doing is making sure that the industry and the work that they do are fit and proper. They've had 60 people leave. They're taking on some of the notorious companies within the construction industry.

But, when you go to the ABCC, you don't have to dive down very deep, because what you'll find with the ABCC is that, when they were there, they were busy turning around and taking on the CFMEU workers, spending half a million dollars to fine the union because they had a flag set up at a worksite. The development didn't have a problem; the workers didn't have a problem.

In actual fact, no-one walking past the site had a problem—except the ABCC. So while all these activities were happening out there for nearly 10 years when the opposition were in power, the ABCC racked up half a million dollars suing the union over flags and women's toilets. We've got all these people, 60, that have been moved on by the administrator, and not one single thing happened except suing the union over toilets on worksites and the Eureka stockade flags.

Let's not forget that they also sued the union over officials talking to workers about unsafe practices whilst drinking tea in the tearoom. They want a chihuahua on the beat; we actually want a rottweiler on the beat, because the administrator has been turning around and taking action to make sure there's a difference. They don't want the rottweiler turning around.

Maybe not a chihuahua—they might want a Pomeranian, a nice toy dog. It's a beautiful dog—fluffy, double coat, fox-like features. It yaps a lot and doesn't have any bite, because they actually don't want the people that are turning around and taking money—wage theft, sham contracting and all the other disgusting safety breaches that happen in that industry—being bitten.

That's what makes a difference. When you take everybody on to clean that industry up, you go after the employers and you make sure your own show is clean. Congratulations to the administrator and all those around them for having the guts to stand up.