Anthony Albanese Fails to Show Up for Australian Workers … Again

CFMEU

Anthony Albanese Fails to Show Up for Australian Workers … Again

Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese has again raised concerns for unions and working Australians by not attending the ALP State conference in Victoria this weekend.

Labor’s deputy leader, Richard Marles, is expected to attend in Mr. Albanese’s absence while thousands of Victorian ALP members are left frustrated, particularly after Mr. Albanese’s most recent decision to support the Free Trade Agreements – A disaster for Australian jobs and living standards.

Mr. Albanese’s failure to face up to workers representatives at the conference is yet another demonstration of his disregard for union workers and continued indifference for the working class. Mr. Albanese and Deputy Marles (a former assistant secretary at the ACTU) also voted in favour of keeping the Howard Government’s anti-union ABCC (Australian Building and Construction Commission) during the Rudd/Gillard Government.

CFMEU VIC/ TAS Secretary, John Setka said:

“Mr. Albanese’s ongoing lack of support for Australian workers furthers supports my decision to resign from the Australian Labor Party.”

Mr Setka released a statement earlier this month stating that Mr. Albanese has betrayed working Australians and the values the Labor Party and Union Movement were founded on:

“The core values on which the Labor party was built on have been totally eroded under Mr. Albanese’s leadership…it has, in record time, abandoned its own policy platforms that were geared at restoring employee bargaining power, standing up for a progressive tax system, properly funding education and abolishing the undemocratic, anti-union Australian Building and Construction Commission.”

Since his resignation from the ALP, Mr. Setka has remained resolute in his campaigning and support of all working-class Australians and the Union Movement:

“Moving forward, I will continue to lead the CFMEU and keep fighting to deliver better wages, conditions and safety standards for all.”

While Mr. Setka will not be attending the ALP state conference, this in no capacity limits the CFMEU’s ability to advocate within the Labor Party for better policies and working conditions for members and working Australians.

/Public Release.