Corrective Services

Union official cleared of charges

Workers have won the first major battle of the anti-union war waged through the Royal Commission into the building industry.

Victorian Secretary of the CFMEU, Martin Kingham, has successfully defended a charge of refusing to hand over union documents to the Cole Royal Commission.

Melbourne Magistrate John Hardy today dismissed the single remaining charge against Kingham after earlier in the week ruling a second charge constituted a threat of double punishment for the same alleged offence.

The magistrate said the evidence did not convince him that the documents existed or, if they did, that Mr Kingham had control of them.

He awarded costs against the Federal Director of Public Prosecutions.

Outside the court, Mr Kingham said the political witch-hunt
masterminded by Federal Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott had been exposed.

"Abbott and Howard cashed up the Cole Royal Commission with $60 million of your money and mine so it could hunt down legitimate unions and workers," Mr Kingham said.

"I was supposed to be their prize scalp. Well, I'm very happy to be free to keep up the fight because it doesn't finish here."

Mr Kingham said he expected further attacks on unions and unionists but all would be vigorously defended.

He said there would be a co-ordinated union campaign against Howard Government legislation intended to create a special police and prosecution force to weaken construction unions.

"Abbott is so obsessed with his anti-union agenda he'll go to any lengths to stir up trouble. His agenda is to drag people through the courts, to spend taxpayers' money to tie up the unions in costly legal actions.

"That tactic saw Abbott fall at the first hurdle.

"This bloke is a joke. He ought to be sacked or at least put on a short leash so he can do as little damage as possible to Australian workers and industry until the whole anti-union mob can be tossed out at the next election," Mr Kingham said.

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/corr_services/20030502_kingham.html
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005