Television Interview, ABC Breakfast

SUBJECTS: NEW BUSHMASTERS, CFMEU,TAX CUTS.

LISA MILLAR: Well, let's get more on that investigation into the CFMEU in Victoria. Pat Conroy is the Minister for Defence Industry. He joins us from Bendigo. Good morning, Minister. What's taken you to Bendigo?

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY PAT CONROY: Well, Lisa, I'll be announcing a $45 million contract with Thales to produce more Bushmaster armoured trucks to support a new regiment of mobile artillery for the ADF. This is about equipping the Australian Defence Force with long range strike to make Australia safer and to protect our citizens and also add to the 100,000 people who work in the Australian defence industry. So, it's a good day for the ADF, it's a good day for Aussie workers.

LISA MILLAR: Not a good day for the CFMEU, and more allegations about who knew what, when. You were actually an organiser in the forestry part of the CFMEU that not the construction, not the mining, not the energy, the forestry. Has anything you've heard been a surprise to you, or has this been one of these worst kept secrets?

MINISTER CONROY: Well I was shocked by the allegations that have been unveiled over the last few days, I worked for a separate part of the union over 20 years ago, so I wasn't familiar with allegations against the construction division of the union. But what we've seen and reported over the last few days is wholly unacceptable. The Prime Minister has said that. The Minister for Employment Relations, Workplace Relations, has said that as well. And all options are on the table from the Federal Government's point of view, including deregistration. This behaviour is unacceptable. Every day, union delegates and organisers get up to make workplaces safer, to look after workers. And what's been reported gives unions a bad name and is unacceptable.

LISA MILLAR: The ALP executive is meeting on Wednesday, the bosses of the ALP. The South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, wants to - wants the executive to suspend the affiliation with the construction division. Do you think that's something that not just Victoria, not SA, right across Australia, is that something that should be considered?

MINISTER CONROY: Well, that's a matter for the party and obviously that will be considered in due course after the South Australian Premier's request. What I'm focused on is what the Federal Government's focused on is what can we do as a Federal Government to stamp out the sort of behaviour that's been reported and that's why Tony Burke has asked for options from his department and all options are on the table, up to and including deregistration of the union. We do have to be careful that whatever is decided doesn't lead to negative repercussions where potentially we see other organisations that aren't registered filling that gap, but action must be taken and Tony Burke is looking at that right now.

LISA MILLAR: The Nine newspapers have been leading the story here and today they're saying that letters were sent not only to the Prime Minister, but to Jacinta Allan before she became the Premier, when she was a Minister in the state government, making a lot of these allegations. We know that the letter got through to Jacinta Allan because she responded to this private company and apologised, talking about unlawful acts, extreme violence on state and federal projects. Do you know whether that letter got through to the Prime Minister? Was it received by the office? We know that it was sent.

MINISTER CONROY: I've got no information on what's been reported this morning by those papers. What we're focused on is obviously looking at what options are available now. We've said that the behaviour that's been reported is unacceptable. Tony Burke was very clear on Insiders on Sunday morning about that and he's looking at options right now on how to deal with this. This not only gives the CFMEU a bad name, it besmirches the good work that union delegates get up and do every day. Delegates in most workplaces aren't paid. They do it out of love for their fellow workers. I've been a union delegate. They get up every day and fight for workplace conditions, a safer workplace and better paying conditions for their fellow workers. And I'm appalled about what this is doing to the impact of unions throughout this country. And that's why action must be taken.

LISA MILLAR: Should the Labor Party be handing back donations or temporarily banning them from the CFMEU? Certainly that's what they've done in Victoria. Should that be a broad approach, especially when we're going into an election in Queensland and CFMEU donations there have been critical to the Labor Party's coffers.

MINISTER CONROY: Well, again, that's. That's a question for the party, Lisa, and I'll leave it out to party officials to speak on behalf of the party. I'm speaking on behalf of the Federal Government this morning and what we're saying is the areas that we govern, obviously, federal registration of trade unions and other registered organisations, and we're looking at all options right now. So, that's what we're focused on.

LISA MILLAR: All right. Are you a bit worried about the poll out today showing that Coalition support is increasing? People think that Australia, the economy is not getting better. You must have a few colleagues worried about that.

MINISTER CONROY: Well, we're focused every day on fighting for Australians, whether it's my announcement today that's about a Future Made in Australia protecting Australians or delivering on those tax cuts that started on the 1st of July or the $300 electricity bill relief. I was door knocking last week, and people were quite positive. They understand that we're doing all we can around cost of living, and they're, quite frankly, really worried about Peter Dutton's nuclear fantasy. In my community in the Hunter Valley, they're saying they don't want nuclear power. So, I'm very confident that we've got a good case for the next election, Lisa.

LISA MILLAR: Ok, not what today's poll was showing, but we won't go into the weeds on all of that. Minister Pat Conroy, thanks for joining us.

MINISTER CONROY: Thanks, Lisa. Have a great morning.

ENDS