Labor MPs raise concerns about Allan’s handling of CFMEU crisis
Updated ,first published
Many Labor MPs have raised concerns about Jacinta Allan’s handling of the deepening CFMEU corruption crisis, on a day when the prime minister clashed with journalists over her government’s response.
Three backbench MPs, speaking anonymously to avoid repercussions, said: Age The government needed to defuse the problem by giving a royal commission and tighter powers to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog, among the options being discussed internally.
But Allan dismissed such concerns as “anonymous gossip” at a tense news conference on Thursday, threatening to stop answering questions unless a reporter retracted a comment suggesting he was “irrelevant” to the corruption scandal.
He rejected the need for a royal commission and doubled down on his ministers’ criticism of Geoffrey Watson, SC, denying it was inappropriate to call him a “headline seeker” and question his professional integrity.
On Thursday night, the government was forced to postpone parliamentary debate on the comprehensive justice bill after the Greens and the Coalition pushed for changes with powers to pursue new money for IBAC.
After the Greens gained enough support to pass the amendment, the government withdrew the final vote rather than risk the amendment passing the upper house.
Shadow attorney general James Newbury attacked the move, claiming Allan had “so lost his moral compass” that he would delay critical anti-hate speech legislation and IBAC reforms; Greens leader Ellen Sandell accused Labor of “doing everything” to prevent the changes being passed.
The legislation also includes a major anti-defamation reform that Allan promised in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, which would remove the need for the Director of Public Prosecutions to approve hate speech charges.
Victorian Labor Ministers launched a personal attack on Watson on Wednesday after he accused the state Labor government of turning a blind eye to CFMEU corruption and organized crime on infrastructure projects at a cost to taxpayers of $15 billion after parts of his report into CFMEU corruption were removed. Watson later gave similar evidence at an inquiry into the union in Queensland.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines described Watson as a headline seeker and said his evidence was “pretentious nonsense”.
Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny said it was reckless to make false claims that corruption at Big Build would cost taxpayers $15 billion. He said lawyers have a professional responsibility to rely on evidence.
He intensified his criticism of Carbines before parliament on Thursday, calling Watson weak and responding to the lawyer’s suggestion that Carbines was involved in Trumpist politics as a “snob.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” he said.
“I think this all has to do with the snobbish nature of how people want to behave; if you have evidence, put it out there.”
He said Watson’s comments showed “people are pretty insensitive and are willing to make partisan attacks when their credentials are questioned.”
Asked whether it was acceptable for senior ministers to undermine Watson’s work, Allan said he disagreed with the characterization and reiterated his claims that it was “reckless” to repeat “unfounded allegations”.
He claimed that Kilkenny’s statement did not directly attack Watson and that his statement applied to “all lawyers”.
“The allegations made by Mr. Watson were made by the federal executive. [Mark Irving, KC] unfounded,” Allan said.
“The attorney general made a really important statement yesterday, which should apply to all of us.”
Three Labor MPs from different factions of the party said they were concerned about the impact of the scandal on the government and that there was a wider view that the government should take action to defuse the issue.
“The response so far has been a complete mess,” said one MP.
Although some disputed Watson’s $15 billion figure, they acknowledged it influenced voters and damaged the party’s reputation. Two people have backed some form of royal commission after the Greens and parliament backed the Coalition motion in the upper house.
All three supported giving the state’s anti-corruption watchdog the power to pursue contractors with taxpayer money.
“We don’t have to support their changes. [But] We must say that we are working on further steps and have something to show next week,” said one MP.
Two other MPs strongly defended the premier and his stance that Victoria Police, the Fair Work Commission and other authorities were best placed to investigate corruption concerns.
Allan said no MPs had approached him about calls for a royal commission.
“I will not respond to anonymous gossip,” he said.
“But I will reiterate why I do not support a royal commission. The allegations are not piling up. There is already a royal commission that has failed and, furthermore, when the Liberals want a royal commission it is all about wanting to claw back members’ salaries.”
During the press conference, Allan threatened to leave after a reporter said his people were afraid to go to the police and suggested he appeared “uninterested” in the matter.
Allan refused to continue until the reporter retracted his comment. Another journalist attempted to ask questions but Allan again refused to continue until the statement was retracted.
“No, no, no, because I’m not going to stand here and be accused of something I didn’t do and ask you to step back,” Allan said.
The reporter did not, and Allan eventually decided to continue with the conference.
On Thursday, the Victorian branch of the Electrical Trades Association released a statement defending the Big Build. They said 100,000 workers were involved in the projects and Victorians should be proud of the way they were transforming the state.
“We will not allow the actions of a few to overshadow the monumental achievements and dedication of the many hard-working construction workers who built the Great Structure,” they said.
“The $15 billion claim, like most false claims published these two weeks, lacks credibility and factual basis. The claims should never be treated as fact.”
on thursday, Age The revelation that prominent Victorian union and Labor power brokers were filmed dining with gang leader Mick Gatto on a yacht has raised new questions about the Allan government’s efforts to combat underworld influence.
Allan did not answer questions on Thursday about whether his government would refuse to meet with union leaders linked to Gatto.
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Daniella White is The Age’s state political correspondent. Contact her at da.white@nine.com.auConnect with: X or email.
