Thursday, 15 August 2024

Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:28): (627) My question is for the Attorney-General. Attorney, as first law officer, can you clarify if a CFMEU official needs to be a fit and proper person under Victorian law in order to work on a taxpayer-funded project?

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! I am struggling to see how the question falls within the minister’s responsibility. What I will do is I will ask the minister, and she will answer in the way she sees fit.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:29): It is a common misconception. The Attorney-General, the first law officer of the state, is not responsible for every law that operates in the country of Australia or indeed impacts on Victorians in this instance. Ms Crozier may be advised to freshen up on industrial relations laws and how they operate in the state of Victoria.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:30): I note this is a very testy issue for the government – the CFMEU and the corruption that has occurred – a very testy issue indeed. My supplementary around this issue, which is a very serious one for the community given what has been happening in the state of Victoria, is: is the government currently investigating changes to the law which would require a CFMEU official to be a fit and proper person in order to work on a taxpayer-funded project?

The PRESIDENT: What I am struggling with is the minister’s answer saying that it does not fall within her remit whatsoever.

David Davis interjected.

The PRESIDENT: I am getting there, Mr Davis. It is me pondering out aloud. I am struggling a bit with that. But I will ask the minister, and once again she can answer as she sees fit.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:31): I thank Ms Crozier for her question, and again, question time is not the appropriate place to formulate legislation and laws. But what I can confirm, which may be of assistance to Ms Crozier, is that I am already on the public record in relation to these matters that the government is considering and will soon bring to this place anti-association laws, which may fit within similar themes to which Ms Crozier is referring. But I am really stretching my helpfulness in using that as a response to her question, because her question, again, does really fall within the remit of the federal industrial relations system.