CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith has faced another intense barrage of questions on his media rounds this morning, this time from Patricia Karvelas on ABC’s RN Breakfast.
Smith refused to condemn former Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka, who resigned on Friday ahead of a series of reports that alleged serious misbehaviour, including intimidation.
John Setka and Zach Smith.Credit: Michael Quelch
Here’s an extract from the interview:
Karvelas: Do you accept that John Setka has shamed your union?
Smith: No, I don’t. I don’t accept he has shamed my union.
Karvelas: So did you see that … footage of him delivering a suitcase with the word “dog” on it? Did you see that?
Smith: I did see that.
Karvelas: What did you think of it?
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Smith: I was surprised. I was surprised … so surprised. That’s not something I would have done and I’m sure John probably regrets it. But I’ll let John, who is now a private citizen and no longer the secretary of the branch, speak for himself.
Karvelas: OK. You say you’re surprised. But how can you talk up a guy when there have been this many allegations under his management?
Smith: Let’s have a talk about John. He made a decision on Friday to step aside because he thought it was the best thing for the union, the best thing for the members of CFMEU. That speaks to his integrity and his credibility that he made that decision based on the best interests of the members. Also, a lot of things are going to be said about John over the coming weeks. I have no doubt. There’ll be a lot of scrutiny of John’s legacy and what he’s done and hasn’t done, but one thing that no one will be able to take away from John is his legacy as an industrial leader, the conditions that he won for workers here in Victoria.
Karvelas: I find it remarkable that you are saying on national radio, you’re talking up the guy where you’ve sent administrators into his branch of the union. How can these two things be correct, if you’ve sent administrators in, and you are worried about your Victorian branch, how are you talking up this guy?
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Smith: The decision of the national executive was based on an ability to quickly and effectively respond to allegations and to do all things necessary to give effect to that investigation into any recommendations arising from the investigation. That is the first-order priority of these administration arrangements.
