‘I don’t just ditch my mates’: new Victorian Labor minister defends John Setka ties amid criticism | Victorian politics
Luba Grigorovitch, one of four Victorian Labor MPs promoted to cabinet, said she had “no regrets” about her past friendship with disgraced construction union leader John Setka, although the opposition described her appointment as “appalling”.
The Victorian Labor Party group met on Tuesday and voted to elevate Kororoit member Grigorovitch to cabinet, as well as Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke, Eureka MP Michaela Settle and Box Hill MP Paul Hamer.
It comes after ministers Mary-Anne Thomas, Danny Pearson and Gayle Tierney announced on Monday that they would not contest the November election again and would leave cabinet immediately. They join Natalie Hutchins, who moved to the bench in December.
Grigorovitch was the Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s (RTBU) first female and youngest ever minister of state before entering parliament in the 2022 elections. During his time there, he worked closely with Setka, who led the Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) until his resignation amid scandal in 2024.
He personally thanked Setka in his first speech in 2023 and attended Setka’s wedding the same year.
Shadow attorney general Liberal MP James Newbury said Grigorovitch’s ties to Setka meant she was “unfit to be a minister”.
“How can Prime Minister Jacinta Allan think that Luba Grigorovitch has passed the character test to be a minister of this province?” he told reporters.
“It’s appalling that he singled her out for the cabinet. That doesn’t mean other promotions are worthwhile.”
Asked if he regretted his friendship with Setka after his promotion to the cabinet on Tuesday, Grigorovitch said he had “no regrets”.
“I served as union secretary for nearly 10 years, and it was a period in my career that I am very proud of. I proudly defended workers’ rights every day,” he said.
When asked if he still considered Setka a friend, Grigorovitch said: “I don’t walk away. I don’t leave my friends alone when things get tough. But I haven’t talked to John in a very long time.”
The Prime Minister defended his new ministers and said Newbury’s comments were “petty” and “childish”.
Setka resigned from the CFMEU in mid-2024, before Nine newspaper published an investigation alleging bikers and underworld figures had infiltrated state government projects.
Following the allegations, the report prepared by a manager appointed by the federal government claimed that the union had turned into a “criminal organization” under Setka’s leadership.
Setka has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Edbrooke, meanwhile, worked as a firefighter and teacher and made headlines in 2023. Survived an emergency landing in a light aircraft and weeks later it helped bring a man back to life.
Settle owned and operated a family sheep farm in Ararat for a decade, while Hamer was a civil engineer before winning what was once a safe Liberal seat in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
“If you had asked me 10 years ago if I saw myself in this situation, whatever you were smoking 10 years ago, I probably would have told you to quit smoking,” Hamer told reporters.
But I’m very happy to be given this opportunity.”
Allan will announce the new ministers’ portfolios on Wednesday as part of a wider reshuffle in cabinet positions.
