CFMEU members storm the offices of Queensland Council of Unions – as it happened​on February 19, 2025 at 8:26 am

With that, we will bid adieu to the blog for the evening.

Thanks for joining us, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow for all the latest. Until then, here were todays largest developments:

• The South Australian government has placed the Whyalla steelworks into administration. The Australian Workers Union has strongly backed government intervention to secure the future of the Whyalla steelworks and its workforce, describing it as a “critical pillar” of Australian industry.

• A woman will face court charged over allegedly Islamophobic attacks on two women at a shopping centre, as one of the alleged victims says she remains terrified.

• Queensland’s treasurer has announced an outlook downgrade for the state government budget in state parliament.

• Wages growth continues to decelerate, AAP reports, falling to 3.2% in 2024 and adding to the case for more interest rate cuts.

• Network Ten has breached gambling advertising rules by airing four gambling ads during the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, the broadcasting watchdog has found.

• The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has commenced legal action in the federal court against the CFMEU and its former Victorian secretary, John Setka.

• The mining billionaire Clive Palmer launched his new political venture a week after losing a high court bid to reregister the United Australia party (UAP) ahead of the federal election, with a rebranded Trumpet of Patriots party to contest the upcoming poll.

• And members of the CFMEU stormed the offices of the Queensland Council of Unions in advance of a rally at parliament house on Wednesday.

Members of the Cfmeu stormed the offices of the Queensland Council of Unions in advance of a rally at parliament house on Wednesday.

QCU secretary Jacqueline King said several members of the Cfmeu had begun protesting outside the Trades and Labour Council building in South Brisbane at about 8am to 8.15am.

Despite the building being locked down, three members of the group made their way into the building via fire stairs, she said.

We did have to get security officers to basically calm … there were quite a few people who were upset internally in different areas of building, and understandably, so we did (employ security and lock the building) to assuage their fears that something else would happen.

King said the event was not organised by the Building Trades Group of unions, which organised the rally later that morning.

Members of the CFMEU stormed the offices of the Queensland Council of Unions in advance of a rally at parliament house on Wednesday.

QCU secretary Jacqueline King said several members of the Cfmeu had begun protesting outside the Trades and Labour Council building in South Brisbane at about 8am to 8.15am.

Despite the building being locked down, three members of the group made their way into the building via fire stairs, she said.

We did have to get security officers to basically calm … there were quite a few people who were upset internally in different areas of building, and understandably, so we did (employ security and lock the building) to assuage their fears that something else would happen.

King said the event was not organised by the Building Trades Group of unions, which organised the rally later that morning.

Sydney commuters have been granted a more than four-month reprieve from industrial action on their city’s train network, after the Fair Work Commission ordered rail employee work stoppages be suspended for four months to help unions and the state government strike a pay deal.

Late on Wednesday, the Fair Work Commission announced that while it would not grant the more than six-month suspension that the New South Wales government had requested – meaning no protected work stoppages could be taken until September when the dispute could be settled by arbitration – it would order all industrial action be halted until 1 July.

You can read more about the pay dispute and industrial action here:

A spokesperson for Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance says the company is assessing its options after the Whyalla steelworks was pushed into administration by the South Australian government.

GFG’s One Steel Manufacturing had operated the site since 2017, until the appointment of administrators, KordaMentha, earlier today.

GFG has been under pressure from the government to pay debts to creditors of the Whyalla steelworks and the state, which is owed “tens of millions of dollars”, including $15m to SA Water.

The Whyalla plant has been beset by problems, including under investment as well as a series of shutdowns of its coal-fired blast furnace. Gupta’s steel empire has faced similar pressures across Europe.

The GFG spokesperson said:

GFG is assessing what this means and is seeking advice on its options. Our concern is first and foremost the wellbeing and safety of our employees.

S&P Global cites ‘potential for a significant fiscal deterioration’ in Queensland credit rating downgrade

The Queensland government budget has “the potential for a significant fiscal deterioration with strong growth in operating and capital expenditures”, according to a rating agency.

S&P Global downgraded the state’s budget performance from A+ stable to AA negative this afternoon. The treasurer, David Janetzki, told parliament it would take a “miracle” to avoid a full credit downgrade, affecting borrowing costs.

In a statement, S&P Global said the decision reflects it view that the state’s fiscal position may deteriorate compared with last year’s assessment based on the new Liberal National party government’s mid-year fiscal and economic review released last month.

MYFER outlined much higher operating and capital expenditure, with a total increase of about A$53 billion over the next four years. Consequently, it forecast a rapid rise in debt.

In saying this, we see elevated uncertainty over Queensland’s fiscal outlook. This is because the government describes MYFER as the previous government’s “last budget update” and hasn’t incorporated its own fiscal strategy or all of its decisions in fiscal forecasts.

The government has promised to address spending pressures and escalating capital costs in its June 2025-2026 budget to ensure debt will be lower than that forecast in MYFER. It is unclear how the government will address spending pressures and how much lower expenditure and debt will be in the upcoming budget. This uncertainty is captured in our negative outlook.

The rating agency said significant fiscal deterioration with rising debt is possible and it anticipates budgetary metrics will be structurally weaker as spending rises. It also forecasts that the new state government will cancel a number of infrastructure projects, reducing state debt.

We forecast Queensland’s operating margins will narrow but remain in thin surplus over the next three years.

Neighbours have spoken of the shock and panic during the house fire that killed a mother and her young daughter in Sydney’s south-west, AAP reports.

Ten people were inside a property at Heckenberg when the fire broke out shortly after midnight on Wednesday, gutting the family home.

A few doors down from the charred home, the disability support worker Daniel Bates saw a toddler being hurriedly carried out of the blaze by a woman.

I saw the house engulfed (in the fire), came out … and I saw the lady carrying the child across the road and she was just standing there in a state of shock and panic, like looking for somebody.

The child was mostly covered in soot. That house was fully on fire in about 60 seconds.

Visibly distraught family members were at the scene with investigators during the day, while some people stopped to leave flowers in tribute to the victims.

Across the street, one resident said she was woken by loud screams of people calling for help.

We thought it was a fight, like heaps of people arguing around 12.30am and then we went outside on the porch and saw the fire was going straight up.

I spoke to his worried wife and told her ‘good on him for going inside’ … then he came out and sat all panicked saying, ‘oh my God, oh my God’ and I tried to calm him down.

Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union welcomes Whyalla administration

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has welcomed the South Australian government’s move to place the Whyalla steelworks into administration.

Its national secretary, Steve Murphy, said the decision echoed the sentiments largely felt by the workforce.

We can’t leave this in the hands of private capital. We need to ensure Australia remains a leader in steel manufacturing, which includes a plan to transition to green steel.

The Whyalla steelworks remains critical to Australia’s iron and steel industry, our local manufacturing capability, the decarbonisation of our economy, and the ambition of Future Made in Australia.

Where Whyalla steel goes will determine whether we will see the full realisation of Future Made in Australia and the re-industrialisation of our regions.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has commenced legal action in the federal court against the CFMEU and its former Victorian secretary, John Setka.

Setka faces penalties of up to $37,560 and the CFMEU faces penalties of up to $187,800 if found guilty of the alleged contraventions.

The FWO alleges Setka “intended to coerce” the AFL into dismissing former Australian Building and Construction commissioner, Stephen McBurney, as its chief umpire.

It further alleges he took “adverse action” against McBurney because he had exercised his workplace rights – including initiating court actions against the CFMEU between 2018 and 2023.

The FWO said the legal action concerned widely reported public statements made by Setka last year in relation to McBurney, who was head of officiating at the AFL, including that the CFMEU would disrupt or delay AFL building projects if it didn’t dismiss McBurney.

The FWO’s allegations include that Setka authorised the publishing of a post on the CFMEU Vic-Tas Facebook page that stated:

“Good luck to the AFL with any plans to build any projects, as our members will not be building or supporting any projects that the AFL are involved in [while the AFL supported McBurney].

The FWO alleges Setka’s conduct, and through him the CFMEU, contravened two sections of the Fair Work Act which make it unlawful to try to coerce employers not to employ someone or take adverse action against them.

Ombudsman Anna Booth alleged Setka had engaged in “deliberate unlawful conduct against a former senior public official”.

A first directions hearing date has not yet been set.

Katy Gallagher hits back at Coalition criticism of government fiscal policy

The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier from sunny Cairns to discuss yesterday’s interest rate cut.

Asked if she agreed with the assessment by the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, that the RBA’s decision was due to sacrifices made by Australians rather than government policies, she described it as a “shared effort”.

I must say I am rather surprised when Angus Taylor talks about inflation under our government, when it was under his government that it went so high and was increasing at the last election and we have got it down … which has led to the bank feeling able to cut interest rates.

Gallagher agreed the economy had been “subdued” but said Australia had been dealing with a global inflation challenge.

That has led to the Reserve Bank increasing interest rates which has put downward pressure on consumption and you have seen that in the growth figures across the economy but what the opposition do not say is that we have continued to see growth, continued to see low unemployment, unlike many of our comparable countries, we have wages moving again, and interest rates peaked lower than they did in other countries.

So I am not saying the last couple of years have been easy for Australians, they haven’t … [but] the opposition has opposed every measure that we put in place to actually deal with the cost-of-living pressures.

The Australian Workers Union has strongly backed government intervention to secure the future of the Whyalla steelworks and its workforce, describing it as a “critical pillar” of Australian industry.

Paul Farrow, AWU national secretary, said placing the Whyalla steelworks into administration was the “right move to stabilise the business and pave the way for a long-term transition to green steel”.

The AWU calls on the federal and South Australian governments to act swiftly and decisively to take back control of the plant, protect thousands of jobs, and ensure Australia remains a leader in steel manufacturing.

Without immediate action, Australia loses a critical sovereign capability relied on by its construction, infrastructure and manufacturing industries. It jeopardises many thousands of jobs – on site and up and down supply chains. And it risks losing a generational opportunity to reindustrialise and lead the world in green iron and steel production.

Tens of thousands of households rely on the steelworks and any disruption would be an absolute disaster.

McKenzie deflects question on potential minority government

Still on the upcoming federal election, McKenzie is asked whether the Nationals are open to forming a minority government with crossbenchers, as the opposition leader “at least entertained” over the weekend.

Again, she says that’s a decision for the Australian people.

We obviously would prefer to be in a majority government with a clear mandate to deliver on our policy platform, which is a whole raft of policies to actually get our country back on track and fix the malaise that we have found ourselves in with household recession … but ultimately it is up to the Australian people and, you know, we will see what happens on the Sunday morning post election.