Controversy erupts over photo of union heavyweight’s children

Mr Setka posted this photo. His children’s faces were not blurred in the original.

EVEN the Prime Minister has publicly denounced this photo of two young children, saying it makes his “skin crawl”.

By Sam Clench News.com.au

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has angrily denounced a controversial social media post by union heavyweight John Setka, saying it made his “skin crawl”.

Yesterday Mr Setka, the Victorian secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), posted a photo of his son and daughter holding up a sign directed at the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and its boss, Stephen McBurney.

“GO GET FU#KED,” the sign read.

“Message to McBurney & ABCC: ‘LEAVE OUR DADS ALONE AND GO CATCH REAL CRIMINALS YOU COWARDS!!’

 Happy Father’s Day to all the CFMEU dads today!” Mr Setka said in the accompanying tweet.

Mr Morrison leapt on the post during an interview with 2GB radio this morning, berating Mr Setka and talking up his ties to the Labor Party.

“The CFMEU under John Setka has behaved like a bunch of thugs. And to involve his children in that, I think, is one of the ugliest things I’ve seen,” the Prime Minister said.

“You know, when you see children being used in these sorts of protests, and we saw it in some of those horrific things in relation to the protests around terrorism, this kind of stuff just makes your skin crawl.”

Mr Morrison tried to draw Bill Shorten into the story as well, accusing the Opposition leader of being “led” by unions like the CMFEU.

“What I can’t understand is, this is a bloke the Labor Party gives life membership to and holds parades for. This guy shouldn’t have a parade, he should be paraded out of the place,” he said.

“If Bill Shorten is fair dinkum about anything, then he must cease all ties between the Labor Party and himself and John Setka and the CMFEU out of decency, let alone anything else.

“Bill Shorten’s got his arms all around John Setka. And John Setka has his arms all around Bill Shorten.

“Bill Shorten is union bred, union fed and union led, and that’s how he would run Australia.”

Asked whether he would consider deregistering the CMFEU, Mr Morrison said “of course” he would, and indicated he would discuss the possibility with the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, Kelly O’Dwyer.

Ms O’Dwyer herself has also slammed Mr Setka, telling The Australian he is “supposed to be the tough guy of the union movement, but uses his children to fight his fights”.

“It is beyond the pale. I am disgusted that any father would use his children in such an obscene way to attack a regulator for doing their job,” she said.

Mr Setka initially responded to the controversy by taking aim at Mr McBurney last night, saying he “wouldn’t know justice if it slapped him in the face while every day children like mine lose a brother, sister, mother or father due to unsafe work sites”.

This afternoon, facing a rising backlash, he deleted the photo and apologised.