❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Premier about alleged negotiations with the CFMEU regarding entering administration and a potential deal involving the Attorney General appointment. The Premier denies any such negotiations or deals, calling the accusation bizarre and bordering on corruption.
AnsweredQoN 609Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY,
MINING AND ENERGY UNION (WA) — ADMINISTRATION
609. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I would
also like to congratulate the Leader of the House, the member for Mandurah, for
his announcement today about his departure. I extend my best wishes to him as
well as his family.
I refer to speculation regarding
negotiations between the Premier's government and the Construction,
Forestry, Mining and Energy Union concerning it entering into administration
without making a scene.
(1) Can the
Premier confirm whether his government has made any special agreement with the
CFMEU to enter administration quietly?
(2) Has this
alleged deal included any arrangement for a sitting member of Parliament to be
appointed as the next Attorney General as part of this agreement?
Point of Order
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I have a query
about the relevance of that question to the role of the Premier.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Look, I agree.
I am not sure whether it is relevant to any of your portfolios, Premier, but
given the fact that you are the Premier, I will leave it up to you to respond
how you see appropriate.
Questions without Notice Resumed
MINING AND ENERGY UNION (WA) — ADMINISTRATION
609. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I would
also like to congratulate the Leader of the House, the member for Mandurah, for
his announcement today about his departure. I extend my best wishes to him as
well as his family.
I refer to speculation regarding
negotiations between the Premier's government and the Construction,
Forestry, Mining and Energy Union concerning it entering into administration
without making a scene.
(1) Can the
Premier confirm whether his government has made any special agreement with the
CFMEU to enter administration quietly?
(2) Has this
alleged deal included any arrangement for a sitting member of Parliament to be
appointed as the next Attorney General as part of this agreement?
Point of Order
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I have a query
about the relevance of that question to the role of the Premier.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Look, I agree.
I am not sure whether it is relevant to any of your portfolios, Premier, but
given the fact that you are the Premier, I will leave it up to you to respond
how you see appropriate.
Questions without Notice Resumed
AnswerView source ↗
It is one of the more bizarre
questions I have had, but I will seek to provide the house with some clarity
around what is actually involved in the union entering into administration.
(1) In the first
instance, the Fair Work Commission made an application to the Federal Court to
place the CFMEU into administration. I note
that that application did not include the Western Australian branch. T he
commonwealth government then passed laws through the federal Parliament that
enabled the government of the day to place the CFMEU into administration. In
that context, the commonwealth government imposed an administrator on every
branch of the CFMEU. There was no negotiation here or discussion about whether it would happen or not—that is
what the law has provided and that is what the commonwealth government
did. To answer the first part of the member's question, there were no
negotiations at all because it was not a decision for the CFMEU to make or
concede to. It was imposed on it. There was no negotiation either required or
possible because there was no decision for the CFMEU to make.
(2) The other
accusation that the member seemed to imply via her question was that this is
somehow part of an effort to provide commitments to someone else, who the
member did not actually point out, to become Attorney General. That is not only
bordering on bizarre—it is totally bizarre—but I think the
member for Vasse is actually making an accusation of corruption. If the member
is in fact suggesting that I am corrupt, she
should first of all enunciate those accusations in the appropriate way and then
substantiate or withdraw them completely.
questions I have had, but I will seek to provide the house with some clarity
around what is actually involved in the union entering into administration.
(1) In the first
instance, the Fair Work Commission made an application to the Federal Court to
place the CFMEU into administration. I note
that that application did not include the Western Australian branch. T he
commonwealth government then passed laws through the federal Parliament that
enabled the government of the day to place the CFMEU into administration. In
that context, the commonwealth government imposed an administrator on every
branch of the CFMEU. There was no negotiation here or discussion about whether it would happen or not—that is
what the law has provided and that is what the commonwealth government
did. To answer the first part of the member's question, there were no
negotiations at all because it was not a decision for the CFMEU to make or
concede to. It was imposed on it. There was no negotiation either required or
possible because there was no decision for the CFMEU to make.
(2) The other
accusation that the member seemed to imply via her question was that this is
somehow part of an effort to provide commitments to someone else, who the
member did not actually point out, to become Attorney General. That is not only
bordering on bizarre—it is totally bizarre—but I think the
member for Vasse is actually making an accusation of corruption. If the member
is in fact suggesting that I am corrupt, she
should first of all enunciate those accusations in the appropriate way and then
substantiate or withdraw them completely.
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