QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:01): Thank you for your question, Senator. If you may indulge me, I shout out to Senator Cash, who tells me she's watching this. I told her she really needs to do something else, I reckon—don't you?

She would be really pleased with your first question, no doubt, on the CFMEU. So she's here in spirit if not in person. Senator, can I say to you that the government has taken the strongest possible action by placing the CFMEU into administration.

We know this is serious reform, and we are committed to the administration staying in place until the job is done. There is no place in the Australian trade union movement or in any institution for corruption, criminality and thuggery. I would make the point that this is action that is being taken for up to five years and that the administrator has taken several measures to rid the union of corruption and bad-faith actors, including removing or accepting the resignations of some 60 staff; developing a national code of conduct and statement of expectations for all staff as well as policies relating to enterprise agreements, gifts, organised crime and menacing behaviours; and establishing several inquiries into the state branches of the CFMEU.

The scheme the government has put in place does give the administrator significant powers, and that is right. That is the right thing to do. As I said, there are so many men and women across this country who either work as officials or, in their workplaces, are delegates who do so much work for the people they represent.

We as a movement—the labour movement—should not and do not countenance corruption and thuggery in any form. The PRESIDENT: Senator Kovacic, first supplementary?