Latest news with #MiningandEnergyUnion
The Age
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
‘Time for tough decisions': CFMEU boss Zach Smith steps down from national leadership
CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith will step down as head of the troubled union's construction arm to focus on the Victorian branch, saying he can no longer answer for decisions taken by others. Since the scandal-plagued construction workers' union was placed in administration nine months ago, Smith has served dual roles as national secretary and secretary of the union's Victorian and Tasmanian branch. In a statement posted to social media on Thursday, Smith noted he was first appointed as head of the Victorian branch before the union entered administration, 'with the support of our former leaders'. 'It's time for tough decisions. I've concluded I cannot do justice to both roles,' he said. 'I have also decided that while I am willing to take responsibility for decisions I make, I cannot be asked to take responsibility for decisions that are not mine.' He said he had advised administrator Mark Irving, KC, that we would step back from his national secretary duties on the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union. 'My full commitment now lies with the members in Victoria and Tasmania, where I believe I can have the greatest impact for the future of the union,' he said. 'Let me be clear. I believe the union will get through this not because it's easy but because we must, we've survived two deregistrations, we will survive this.
West Australian
02-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: The good, the bad and the ugly of the campaign unpacked
You can hardly blame Australians for being late to the party when it comes to elections. Many people don't tune in until the last minute because, let's face it, who really wants to watch two men in suits talking themselves up while sticking knives into their opponent. How many times can they really bang on about the cost of living, housing, energy prices and Medicare without seeing voters' eyes glaze over? But as much as politicians can try and talk us into a state of lethargy, there are factors outside of their control that have made this election one to watch. A supposed Chinese 'spy ship'. Russian war planes. A seemingly innocent fall off a Newcastle stage. And the ever unpredictable US President, who has emerged as the third candidate in this election. Here are some of the defining moments of the past five weeks. THE GOOD The Coalition started the campaign on a competitive footing, with opinion polls pointing to a narrow gap in the two-party preferred vote and a likely outcome of a hung parliament. If the pollsters are to be believed, it's the high point for the Coalition before Mr Dutton's campaign unravelled . . . or failed to get off the ground, depending on which way you look at it. THE BAD Labor is given a free kick in the first week when Mr Dutton said he wouldn't live in The Lodge if he becomes prime minister, telling Sydney radio hosts he would 'take Sydney any day over living in Canberra'. Labor seized on the comments, accusing the Opposition Leader of 'measuring the curtains at Kirribilli House' while having no respect for the people of Canberra. Mr Albanese experienced his roughest day of the campaign, copping the fallout from Donald Trump's Liberation Day tariffs before literally falling off a stage at a Mining and Energy Union conference while in Cessnock in NSW. The simple mishap turned bizarre when the PM tried to claim he 'didn't fall . . . just one leg went down, but I was sweet.' THE UGLY Extremist gatecrashers made their presence known early in the campaign. A climate protester was able to get within an arm's reach of Mr Dutton on his first day campaigning in Queensland, triggering heightened security that limited spontaneous interactions with the general public. The PM was also targeted by alleged neo-nazis who gatecrashed his press conference in Brisbane. THE GOOD Many — including from within the Coalition's camp — have found it difficult to crack Mr Dutton's 'hard man' persona and convey a softer side to voters. But the Opposition Leader spoke personally on a range of issues at The West Australian's Leadership Matters event in Perth, including how politics is a 'brutal business' after a Brisbane boy was charged over an alleged terror plot targeting his home. In another moment of emotional candour, he described his family and his experience on the beat as a police officer in the 1990s as a driving force behind his ambition for the top job. THE BAD Just when the PM thought he was done with Chinese ships, a sea-floor research vessel appeared off the South Australian coast. Mr Albanese said he would 'prefer' it wasn't there but admitted he couldn't do anything about it. He said Australia conducts similar moves in the Taiwan Strait, sparking a furious reaction from the Opposition who said it was equating the behaviour of the Australian Defence Force to the Chinese Communist Party. Mr Dutton admitted the Coalition's plan to force public servants back into the office was a 'mistake' in his first major backflip of the campaign. Polling shows both leaders are on the nose with female voters but Mr Dutton doesn't say whether this impacted his decision. He also walks back plans to axe 41,000 government jobs over the next five years through forced redundancies. THE UGLY The first blood is spilled after a cameraman is hit in the head by a footy following a stray kick from the Opposition Leader in Darwin. Mr Dutton apologised to the man, who was later seen sporting a bandage around his forehead and joking with colleagues after the accident. THE GOOD The leaders held their campaign launches with party faithful on the same Sunday (April 13), with the PM in Perth and the Opposition Leader in Western Sydney. Both unveiled last-ditch appeals to voters and sweeteners on tax cuts and mortgage relief. It's good to see first-homebuyers and young people finally getting some attention, but it's also clear this election has become a spendathon. THE BAD Mr Dutton made another blunder, jumping on a report that Russia was trying to base military aircraft in Indonesia — which would put fighter jets about 1400km north of Darwin — and incorrectly claiming the country's president had publicly announced Russia's request. While neither the Australian Government nor Indonesia categorically ruled out the request from Russia, Mr Dutton admitted during the second leaders' debate he wrongly claimed Indonesia's president had first made comments on the issue. Housing is apparently fine to talk about as a policy issue — just don't ask what goes on behind closed doors. Both Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton dodged questions around whether they would help their own children with housing deposits after announcing policies to help more Australians crack the market. Mr Dutton, who brought his son Harry on the campaign trail and spoke about how first-homebuyers shouldn't have to rely on 'the bank of Mum and Dad', eventually said he would help him 'at some stage'. The PM argued 'families don't have a place in these issues'. THE UGLY There's nothing more embarrassing than going in for a hug and being snubbed — except for when that moment is caught on national TV. The PM appeared to block a hug and a kiss from Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek as he greeted members of his frontbench during his campaign launch. A number of others were also given the cold shoulder including Resources Minister Madeleine King, Assistant Minister Patrick Gorman and Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh. They insisted they weren't offended, but a post-election cabinet reshuffle could reveal otherwise. THE GOOD The Coalition gets some serious momentum this week. Its pledge to inject $21 billion into Australia's defence is the shot in the arm the it needs in the penultimate week of the campaign. Mr Dutton has vowed to increase defence funding to 2.5 per cent of GDP within five years, if elected prime minister, before lifting that figure to the Trump administration's 3 per cent target. He also delivers his strongest performance yet in the third leaders' debate. Labor also manages to cut through with its pledge to spend at least $1.2 billion buying critical minerals to stockpile, which will form part of Australia's response to Mr Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs and is tipped to be particularly beneficial for WA. THE BAD The world is rocked by news of the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Campaigning is briefly suspended out of respect for the late pontiff. Another confusing backflip by Mr Dutton, this time on scrapping Labor's tax breaks for electric vehicles. The Opposition Leader pledged not to repeal the fringe benefits tax exemption for electric vehicles, which has soared in popularity since it was introduced by Labor in 2022. However, he has since confirmed the Coalition would axe the scheme, describing it as 'wasteful spending'. THE UGLY The stage saga refuses to go away. Just when we think Mr Albanese has finally admitted his blunder — confessing his worst moment of the campaign was when he fell off a stage in the first week of campaigning — he backtracked at a press conference later by saying he 'stumbled' off the stage and 'didn't fall over on my backside'. Of all the hills to die on, this one hardly seems worth it. Disruptions during Indigenous acknowledgements at Anzac Day dawn services in Perth and Melbourne left crowds stunned and were slammed as an 'act of low cowardice' by Mr Albanese. Mr Dutton echoed his sentiments. THE GOOD Western Australia received yet another visit from both leaders as they made their final pitches to voters before polling day, cementing the State's status as a crucial battleground. Voters in a handful of WA electorates could decide the fate of Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton, with Bullwinkel, Tangney, Curtin and Pearce among the seats to watch. THE BAD Mr Dutton gets the price of a dozen eggs wildly wrong during Channel 7's Leaders' Debate. He says a carton costs $4.20, which is about half of the average price in supermarkets at the moment. We know the leaders don't do their own shopping, but Australians expect them to be across the cost of living — which has been the foundation for both campaigns. The wheels all-but fell off the Coalition's campaign when one of its buses broke down in the middle of central Sydney traffic. Fortunately the bus is carrying the travelling media, who are able to capture the hiccup before their muscles are needed to help push. The one saving grace is that the bus wasn't branded with the Coalition's campaign slogan pledging to get Australia 'back on track'. THE UGLY The Brisbane electorate office of Mr Dutton is vandalised for the third time in two weeks, with litres of red paint splashed across its windows. An 18-year-old woman has since been arrested and charged.
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Former NSW CFMEU leaders, Darren Greenfield and son Michael, plead guilty to corruption and bribery charges
A former New South Wales union boss and his son have pleaded guilty to corruption and bribery charges after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. Darren Greenfield, a former NSW secretary for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and son Michael, a former state branch assistant secretary, are accused of soliciting and accepting payments from a building company owner in exchange for preferential treatment from the union and access to building contracts. Michael Greenfield was the former NSW branch assistant secretary. ( AAP Photos: Mick Tsikas ) The Greenfields' lawyer, Paul McGirr, previously indicated the pair would seek a plea deal because they would no longer be able to use union money to pay their legal fees. Darren Greenfield senior was charged with four counts of receiving or soliciting a corrupt benefit but pled guilty to two counts after the withdrawal of two charges. Michael Greenfield pled guilty to two counts of the same charge. A report published earlier this year by anti-corruption expert Geoffrey Watson SC recommended that the CFMEU start legal action to recover a sum of up to $890,000 paid by Darren Greenfield to his son for the defence of their bribery charges. The allegations stretch back to 2018 and were first brought against the pair in 2021, but received renewed interest after Nine Newspapers reported claims a police camera hidden in the ceiling of the CFMEU's Sydney office captured thousands of dollars in cash being handed over to guarantee union support on a building site. The allegations were made just days after another investigation which alleged underworld figures infiltrated the union's Victorian branch. Darren and Michael Greenfield parted ways with the union last year after sustained media pressure. Both men will remain on bail until the matter returns to court in late May.
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Did Albanese fall off a stage or not - and why do people keep talking about it?
Hi Caitlin, something has been bothering me lately. Did prime minister Anthony Albanese fall off a stage or not? It depends if your definition of 'falling' is stepping into midair and then rapidly dropping to the ground. If it is, then yes, he did. You'd be hard pressed to have missed this viral moment, but to recap: earlier in the campaign, the prime minister was standing on a stage at a Mining and Energy Union conference in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter While posing for photos, he made a move to the left and suddenly – to the dramatic gasps of the audience – lost his footing and descended from the stage like a pin falling into the ocean. As he went, he gripped on to a tall man's arm for support, who quickly jumped into gear and helped him up with the assistance of two others. Once safely upright, he gestured to the audience that he was fine and broke into a sheepish grin. Thanks Caitlin, but I still feel as lost as a politician trying to make their way across a reasonably well-lit stage. Why is Albanese's stumble such a big deal? The story could have ended there, with a few awkward photos and puns about a major 'stumble' in Labor's campaign. Alas. I don't know if Albanese's masculinity was bruised. I don't know if he was afraid that 'taking a fall' (which is very distinct from falling) would highlight the fact that, at 62, he is just five years away from pension age. Whatever it was, the PM simply couldn't admit that he fell over. When asked about the video footage on ABC radio, he sought to deny, deny, deny, telling listeners he 'stepped back one step' and 'didn't fall off the stage'. (I did not know stepping required the assistance of three people.) 'Just one leg went down, but I was sweet,' Albanese insisted. Of course, the Coalition also noticed Albanese's mishap and Peter Dutton milked it for all it was worth, repeatedly telling reporters his opponent was a liar for being unable to admit that he fell off a stage, and is therefore untrustworthy as a How much can the Coalition talk about one misstep? Considering it happened in the first week of the campaign and we are now in week four, it is somewhat wild we are continuing to discuss this. But discuss it we are. Speaking in Melbourne on 10 April – a week after the fall – Dutton called Albanese a 'liar who can't be trusted'. 'The prime minister lied about falling off the stage for some reason. I mean it was on camera, it's quite amazing,' he said. The Liberal party's official Instagram page has posted almost a dozen memes and videos of the incident, including footage of Dutton saying last week 'if I fell off the stage, I wouldn't lie about it'. That fits in with Dutton's broader line that the prime minister is 'loose with the truth' and not able to 'lie straight in bed', with the opposition raising alarm over what he has called mounting a scare campaign by Labor over Medicare funding. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Has Albanese finally admitted that he put a foot wrong? He has contorted himself into a pretzel – backflipping from refutation, to jest, to dismissiveness, back to refutation. There was a small glimmer of light at a business breakfast in Perth on Thursday morning, when Albanese reportedly joked that the incident was the worst moment of his campaign trail, describing the whole event as funny. Could he finally simply laugh it off? Could he embrace his weaknesses as a strength, to accept that to fall is to grow? No. When asked about his comments at a later press conference in Newcastle, he quickly bit back, telling a reporter it was a 'joke' and to 'chill out'. 'I did not fall,' he maintained, repeating his story that he 'stepped off' the stage before making a deeply painful dad joke. 'I stepped off the stage and I didn't fall over on the backside. I stumbled. That's what happened. I laughed about it at the time, I've laughed about it since, it's no big deal,' he said. 'I fell for Newcastle a long time ago. It's a great place.' So there you have it. He stepped, he stumbled, he laughed, he was sweet. He did not fall. Nothing to see here, folks.
West Australian
24-04-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: Albanese admits falling on stage, then doubles-down on denial hours later
Anthony Albanese has doubled down on his denial about falling off a stage earlier in the campaign, despite it being caught on camera and making a surprise admission just hours earlier that he had, in fact, fallen. The bizarre twist in the stage fall tale started on Thursday morning when the Prime Minister admitted the worst part of his campaign was 'falling off a stage'. It's a fact Mr Albanese has been reluctant to admit since the incident at a Mining and Energy Union conference on April 3 while in Cessnock, NSW. He was caught by two bystanders and told the crowd he 'didn't fall off the stage, just one leg went down, but I was sweet', despite the stack being caught on camera. In Perth for The West Australian's Leadership Matters event, Mr Albanese publicly joked about the incident for the first time, offering it up as an answer when asked what the worst part of his campaign had been. 'Probably falling off a stage,' he said before praising the occupation health and safety on the one he was siting on, which was well lit and marked. Mr Albanese then joked he was surprised the NSW function didn't have better safety standards given it was organised by a mining union. But, an hour later, he said his admission was 'a joke' and told a reporter to 'chill out' while at a press conference in Forrestfield in Perth's outer seat of Bullwinkel. 'I stepped off the stage. I didn't fall over on my backside. I stumbled. That's what happened. I laughed about it at the time. I laughed about it, since it's no big deal,' he said. The journalist started her question: 'You said this morning, at the breakfast event, that falling off the stage had been the worst moment of the campaign for you when you were in the Hunter Valley…' But she was cut off by the PM, who said 'It was a joke' before adding 'chill out' and attempting to move on to the next journalist. Despite trying to move on from the stepping off versus falling debate, the Prime Minister was then asked why the issue mattered so much to him and why he wouldn't just admit he fell and move on given the Coalition had used it as an attack line to paint him as a liar. 'Frankly, it says something about their character,' Mr Albanese said. 'If the Coalition is spending time on memes and on media about that issue. 'It says that my government's economic policy, social policy, environmental policy, foreign policy, and national security policy are going okay. That's the message it sends.'
