Turnbull, election night on CFMEU - we could have walked away from our principles, but that's not right. It's weak.
Thursday, 07 July 2016
This is Turnbull just 4 days ago,
Now, I want to also address a matter that I know has been raised earlier today or this evening about the calling of the double-dissolution election. Let me remind everybody of why that occurred.
That was not a political tactic. It was not designed to remove senators or get a new Senate because new senators are better than old senators or whatever.
It was simply this. We need to restore the rule of law to the construction industry. At the moment the CFMEU has over 100 officials before the courts on more than 1,000 charges of breaching industrial law or agreements.
There is a culture of thuggery and intimidation, and bullying in the construction sector, which John Howard recognised years ago and set up the ABCC.
Bill Shorten and Julia Gillard abolished it. The Hayden royal commission investigated again and made it perfectly clear that the same problems were there, only worse.
And we had no choice — we did have a choice — we could have walked away and said it was all too hard and we weren’t committed to our principles of cleaning up the construction industry and ensuring the rule of law applied. We could have done that.
I don’t think that’s consistent with the values and the principles we share and our party have or I have or the alternative was to take the matter to a double-dissolution so you could present it to a joint sitting. That is the only alternative we had.
For those that say we shouldn’t have called a double-dissolution election are saying we should have just let the CFMEU with getting on with doing what they like and never challenge them. And that is not in Australia’s interests. It’s not right. It’s weak.
We have to stand up for what is right to restore the rule of law in an industry that employs over a million Australians.
The Prime Minister has arrived for his meeting with Bob Katter in Brisbane pic.twitter.com/zYZ0EkpsFL (@JohannaMarie_)
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 7, 2016
To summarise, anything less than the full monty against the CFMEU:
- is not in Australia's interests
- is not right
- it's weak
- is not consistent with the values Australians share
- is not consistent with Australian principles
- is not consistent with Malcolm Turnbull's personal values and principles
- is not consistent with the Liberal Party's values and principles
- it breaches our commitment to clean up construction industry
- it breaches our commitment to restore the rule of law
- endorses a culture of thuggery and intimidation
- the fact that 100 officials are before the courts on more than 1,000 charges means this is an organisation operating outside the law
Unless, that is, Chairman Mal needs the CFMEU's man's vote to keep his job as Prime Minister. In that case, just forget all that stuff he said before, it was just marketing's idea.
Katter won't brook any bashing of #ausunions. He opposed the ABCC bill before ... govt IR agenda dead? #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/6lvOniO6iT
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) July 7, 2016
What a legend! Bob Katter won't stand for any union bashing. #AusWaitshttps://t.co/2GUve35b6F pic.twitter.com/lmjNDAmKG6
— CFMEU (@CFMEU) July 7, 2016
I hope Bob Katter is asking for proper NBN.
— Rhys Muldoon (@rhysam) July 6, 2016
"I'll bash him up."@RealBobKatter's threat to @TurnbullMalcolm if he engages in "union bashing" #ausvotes @abcnews https://t.co/YT4CU1g5r1
— Dan Conifer (@DanConifer) July 7, 2016