Leaked tape exposes CFMEU anger at ACTU's Sally McManus
Exclusive: A secret tape has exposed how a CFMEU employee claimed the justifications for putting the union into administration were a 'load of shit'.
The powerful union, which has assets of more than $300 million, was plunged into administration for five years after reports it had been infiltrated by bikies and organised crime.
However, the decision to strip the CFMEU of its rights and force out more than 270 officials across the country caused anger in the union movement.
Lisa Andrew, who is still working at the CFMEU, hit out at Australian Council of Trades Hall secretary Sally McManus at a union Labour Day dinner in Ballarat, Victoria.
Ms Andrew said in a recording that Ms McManus was wrong to claim that the administration was only there to stamp out corruption, arguing she had been put under the microscope at only an hour's notice.
She said on the recording that she was 'almost a removed person' because she was on an ALP committee.
'I was called in within one hour's notice on a day I was working from home,' she said.
'I was told I had to come into the administrator's office with one hour's notice and if I didn't I would be fired.'
Ms Andrew said on the day that she was interrogated, Ms McManus had said on social media that the administration was only targeting bikies.
'What a load of shit, and more than that, I was, and I still am, prohibited from talking out publicly about it. Even the fact I'm up here today is a risk. I might be fired because I told you about my personal experience,' she said on the tape, which was recorded in March.
'We're not criminals, we're not bikies, the vast majority of us are unionists that just want to go about their jobs and move this movement along for the benefit of working people.
'This legislation comes after not one of us, but all of us. You can't be a unionist and support this legislation.
'Every single one of us is here tonight because at some point we made the decision that we weren't going to be politically inactive. We were going to step up and work for working people and that's what this night is all about.'
Ms Andrew has previously hit headlines when she attended an ALP meeting in August last year in the days after the CFMEU was plunged into administration.
Mark Irving, KC, was appointed for a five-year term to clean up the union, but has been delayed in making sweeping changes after a High Court challenge to the administration.
Some union members have been angry at the slow pace of change.
It was revealed this week that he was offering redundancy packages to CFMEU officials worth hundreds of thousands.
However, sources claim that anyone who took the payout was unlikely to be able to work at another union.
Ms Andrew resigned from her role at an ALP committee after being given an ultimatum by the administration.
Sources claim she would have been placed on a 'removed persons' list if she had not complied.
A CFMEU spokesman said: 'The High Court ruling ended a period of uncertainty for the Union, and the Administration is now able to fully focus on returning the Union to the membership as a strong democratic, member-controlled Union which is enduringly free of corruption and criminal influence as soon as possible.
'We look forward to working with everyone inside and outside the Union that is committed to the project of ongoing reform that is necessary for the Union.'
Ms McManus was approached for comment. Shock golden handshakes for CFMEU despite corruption probe Read related topics: CFMEU

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Herald Sun
a day ago
- Herald Sun
Leaked tape exposes CFMEU anger at ACTU's Sally McManus
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. Exclusive: A secret tape has exposed how a CFMEU employee claimed the justifications for putting the union into administration were a 'load of shit'. The powerful union, which has assets of more than $300 million, was plunged into administration for five years after reports it had been infiltrated by bikies and organised crime. However, the decision to strip the CFMEU of its rights and force out more than 270 officials across the country caused anger in the union movement. Lisa Andrew, who is still working at the CFMEU, hit out at Australian Council of Trades Hall secretary Sally McManus at a union Labour Day dinner in Ballarat, Victoria. Ms Andrew said in a recording that Ms McManus was wrong to claim that the administration was only there to stamp out corruption, arguing she had been put under the microscope at only an hour's notice. She said on the recording that she was 'almost a removed person' because she was on an ALP committee. 'I was called in within one hour's notice on a day I was working from home,' she said. 'I was told I had to come into the administrator's office with one hour's notice and if I didn't I would be fired.' Ms Andrew said on the day that she was interrogated, Ms McManus had said on social media that the administration was only targeting bikies. 'What a load of shit, and more than that, I was, and I still am, prohibited from talking out publicly about it. Even the fact I'm up here today is a risk. I might be fired because I told you about my personal experience,' she said on the tape, which was recorded in March. 'We're not criminals, we're not bikies, the vast majority of us are unionists that just want to go about their jobs and move this movement along for the benefit of working people. 'This legislation comes after not one of us, but all of us. You can't be a unionist and support this legislation. 'Every single one of us is here tonight because at some point we made the decision that we weren't going to be politically inactive. We were going to step up and work for working people and that's what this night is all about.' Ms Andrew has previously hit headlines when she attended an ALP meeting in August last year in the days after the CFMEU was plunged into administration. Mark Irving, KC, was appointed for a five-year term to clean up the union, but has been delayed in making sweeping changes after a High Court challenge to the administration. Some union members have been angry at the slow pace of change. It was revealed this week that he was offering redundancy packages to CFMEU officials worth hundreds of thousands. However, sources claim that anyone who took the payout was unlikely to be able to work at another union. Ms Andrew resigned from her role at an ALP committee after being given an ultimatum by the administration. Sources claim she would have been placed on a 'removed persons' list if she had not complied. A CFMEU spokesman said: 'The High Court ruling ended a period of uncertainty for the Union, and the Administration is now able to fully focus on returning the Union to the membership as a strong democratic, member-controlled Union which is enduringly free of corruption and criminal influence as soon as possible. 'We look forward to working with everyone inside and outside the Union that is committed to the project of ongoing reform that is necessary for the Union.' Ms McManus was approached for comment. Shock golden handshakes for CFMEU despite corruption probe Read related topics: CFMEU

Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
Queensland LNP government says Labor's 'lacklustre' approach to eradicating fire ants fuels major spread south of the border
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Millions of Qantas customers affected in data hack
Cyber criminals have gained access to "significant" data belonging to six million Qantas customers after hacking a call centre with records including customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates. The airline on Wednesday confirmed the cyber incident on a third-party platform but assured customers the system had since been contained. Qantas first caught wind of the attack when it detected unusual activity on a third party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre on Monday. "The incident occurred when a cyber criminal targeted a call centre and gained access to a third-party customer servicing platform," the company said in a statement. "There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline. "We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant. An initial review has confirmed the data includes some customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers." No credit card details, financial information or passport details were held in the system that had been compromised, Qantas said. It also said no frequent flyer account details, including passwords, PIN numbers or log-in details had been accessed. Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts. "We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously," she said. ""We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support." A dedicated customer support line had been established to provide customers with the latest information. Cyber criminals have gained access to "significant" data belonging to six million Qantas customers after hacking a call centre with records including customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates. The airline on Wednesday confirmed the cyber incident on a third-party platform but assured customers the system had since been contained. Qantas first caught wind of the attack when it detected unusual activity on a third party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre on Monday. "The incident occurred when a cyber criminal targeted a call centre and gained access to a third-party customer servicing platform," the company said in a statement. "There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline. "We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant. An initial review has confirmed the data includes some customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers." No credit card details, financial information or passport details were held in the system that had been compromised, Qantas said. It also said no frequent flyer account details, including passwords, PIN numbers or log-in details had been accessed. Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts. "We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously," she said. ""We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support." A dedicated customer support line had been established to provide customers with the latest information. Cyber criminals have gained access to "significant" data belonging to six million Qantas customers after hacking a call centre with records including customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates. The airline on Wednesday confirmed the cyber incident on a third-party platform but assured customers the system had since been contained. Qantas first caught wind of the attack when it detected unusual activity on a third party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre on Monday. "The incident occurred when a cyber criminal targeted a call centre and gained access to a third-party customer servicing platform," the company said in a statement. "There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline. "We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant. An initial review has confirmed the data includes some customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers." No credit card details, financial information or passport details were held in the system that had been compromised, Qantas said. It also said no frequent flyer account details, including passwords, PIN numbers or log-in details had been accessed. Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts. "We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously," she said. ""We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support." A dedicated customer support line had been established to provide customers with the latest information. Cyber criminals have gained access to "significant" data belonging to six million Qantas customers after hacking a call centre with records including customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates. The airline on Wednesday confirmed the cyber incident on a third-party platform but assured customers the system had since been contained. Qantas first caught wind of the attack when it detected unusual activity on a third party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre on Monday. "The incident occurred when a cyber criminal targeted a call centre and gained access to a third-party customer servicing platform," the company said in a statement. "There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline. "We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant. An initial review has confirmed the data includes some customers' names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers." No credit card details, financial information or passport details were held in the system that had been compromised, Qantas said. It also said no frequent flyer account details, including passwords, PIN numbers or log-in details had been accessed. Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts. "We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously," she said. ""We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support." A dedicated customer support line had been established to provide customers with the latest information.