CFMEU will cut support for Labor in election
THE Palaszczuk Government’s re-election chances have been dealt a devastating blow with a key union slamming shut its massive financial war chest and declaring it doesn’t care if the out-of-touch Labor Party wins or loses.
The powerful CFMEU announced it will pull all funds and volunteers – and will even consider actively campaigning against the government – just hours after Deputy Premier Steven Miles said he expected their help in October.
The stinging public rebuke comes amid internal turmoil over the preselection of candidates, a question mark over whether Townsville-based Minister Coralee O’Rourke will run again and last week’s savaging by respected Labor figure Cameron Milner.
In a rare and extraordinary press conference, union boss Michael Ravbar slammed the government for being more interested in getting itself elected with “spin” and “bright ads” rather than a real economic plan that would create jobs for the people it was meant to care about.
It followed the announcement that the union would quit the Left faction, labelling it “little more than a protection racket for dud members such as (former deputy premier) Jackie Trad”.
“We’ve made it clear, there will be no finances, there’ll be no resources, there’ll be no people on the ground,” Mr Ravbar said, adding that could cost Labor “millions”.
“At the end of the day, they rely on organisations such as us for our support, whatever it might be, financially or on the ground, so yes it will hurt.”
Mr Ravbar wouldn’t rule out campaigning for minority parties like Katter’s Australian Party, and said its 24,000 members may well vote against Labor on October 31.
He said that if Labor lost because of the move, then “so be it”, but “sometimes it takes someone within the party to make a stand for them to wake up and realise you’ve got to govern for all, not a select few”.
“At the end of the day, governments come and go,” he said.
The CFMEU has had a long-running fight with the government over Cross River Rail project.