I Welcome Victorias New Premier

Not long now !

Premier John Setka/Daniel Andrews
CFMEU union Victoria





I'm feeling for the 49.9% of Victorians that don't deserve whats coming !



THE extraordinary police record of John Setka, one of the nation's most powerful unionists, finally has been laid bare, with 60 charges leading to dozens of convictions and fines including for theft, assault by kicking, criminal damage and assaulting police.

By the end of the year, Mr Setka is expected to be placed in charge of the construction division of the Victorian branch of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.

The Australian can reveal that Mr Setka, 48 next month, was charged 60 times with serious offences between 1982 and 1991 in a violent battle with the law during unprecedented turmoil in the construction industry.

He was convicted or fined in relation to 40 of those offences (one of which was dropped after an appeal). That still makes it an extraordinary rap sheet for one of the nation's most influential members of the construction industry.

Mr Setka said yesterday the majority of the charges came from heated exchanges on picket lines and in the name of defending union members.

Critics hit out at the behaviour of Mr Setka, a former Builders Labourers Federation official, warning union delegates should be made aware of his past when voting in ballots.

The criminal history, which includes his fingerprint classification and a jail number, shows that Mr Setka was found guilty multiple times for indecent language, assault by kicking, assaulting police and wilful trespass.

Sitting with Melbourne identity Mick Gatto at a wine bar opposite Parliament House in Melbourne yesterday, Mr Setka said he was under legal instruction not to talk to The Australian but added that many of the offences were committed in the name of protecting workers.

"A lot of the charging was dismissed on appeal," he said. "You go to a picket line and you just get loaded up with a whole lot of charges."

Mr Gatto said Mr Setka worked hard for his members and deserved respect.

Mr Setka, who is suing Tony Abbott for allegedly implying he is a union thug, was accused in court yesterday of deliberately driving his car at a building site manager following a violent protest. He denies the claim.

Mr Setka also allegedly hurled abuse at Grocon employees during a protest in Melbourne at which construction workers trampled on police officers.

The allegations were made as Grocon asked the Victorian Supreme Court to extend injunction orders against the CFMEU after hearing evidence about the violent clash outside Grocon's $1.2 billion Myer Emporium building site on Lonsdale Street.

The company's Victorian operations manager, Brian McAdam, told judge Anthony Cavanough he had recognised Mr Setka at the CBD protest and saw him directly confront a group of about 90 Grocon employees who were trying to enter their worksite. "Mr Setka has then verbally abused our people," Mr McAdam told the court. "It's not language I like to use but he yelled out 'f . . king dog'."

Mr McAdam said Mr Setka had also called the workers "scabs", to which some of them replied, "we just want to work".

A police spokeswoman said: "There were no arrests during today's protest. Police will investigate any possible offences relating to today's protest after viewing available vision."

While it has been known Mr Setka has had brushes with the law, the full extent of his dealings with Victoria Police in the turbulent 1980s and 90s have been closely guarded.

Mr Setka's lawyers yesterday did not respond to a series of questions put to him in writing by The Australian. Mr Setka did not contest the accuracy of his criminal history.

Between 1982 and 1991, he faced 60 criminal charges and two traffic offences. Of the 60 charges, 20 were dropped or no further action was taken, with 40 leading to penalties. Of several attempts to appeal matters, only one was successful.

Mr Setka is suing the Opposition Leader, claiming he has been "gravely injured" by his public portrayal as a construction site thug. Mr Abbott, who made the claim at a Master Builders Association conference in February, has contended he had been true in his criticism of Mr Setka.

Of the charges successfully pursued by police 20 years ago, Mr Setka was found guilty five times of assaulting police, five times of assault by kicking, seven times for wilful trespass, five times for resisting arrest, once for theft and once for attempted theft by deception.

The Australian reported in May that Mr Setka had been jailed twice after being found in contempt of court. This is separate to the criminal record seen by The Australian and published today.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said yesterday he would not comment directly on Mr Setka but he was sick of industrial thuggery in the construction industry.

Former Australian Building and Construction Commissioner John Lloyd said that in any union or employer association senior appointments needed to be carefully considered.

On Mr Setka's past, Mr Lloyd said: "The members probably know about it. But it wouldn't be unreasonable that members were aware of all the facts about a person's past."

Lawrie Cross, industrial relations and health and safety manager at the Master Builders Association of Victoria, said he was concerned the ABCC had been abolished.

"Such is the pervasive power of the CFMEU over construction companies, the situation is going to repeat itself," he said. "Yes, we are concerned that there remains an element of thuggery."

In a statement to members yesterday, the CFMEU accused Grocon of underhanded tactics and of denying basic rights such as being represented by recognised safety and union representatives.

"To enforce his rules on an unhappy workforce, Daniel Grollo employs a team of management heavies led by a former nightclub bouncer," the union said. "The CFMEU has never accepted this bullying and intimidation and has made clear our opposition over a number of years. We thought we had solved the problem in April when Daniel Grollo shook hands with CFMEU leaders on a deal. This would have guaranteed workers on Grocon sites the same rights as all other construction workers."



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