source : the age
Former construction union boss John Setka has been arrested and charged for a third time over sending allegedly threatening and harassing messages to CFMEU administrators.
The 61-year-old was arrested on Friday morning and is due to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court later today.
“He has since been charged with using a telecom communications device to menace, using a telecom communications device to offend and two charges of commit indictable offence whilst on bail,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
The charges relate to comments allegedly made by Setka on Monday.
“Police will allege additional threats were made, and an IVO was served on the man on Sunday 19 July,” the spokesperson said.
Police established Operation Hawk in mid-2024, in response to this masthead’s Building Bad series, which exposed criminal behaviour and corruption in the CFMEU.
The former union boss was first arrested in November and charged with seven counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass and offend the union’s government-appointed administrator, Mark Irving, KC.
He was charged a second time, in February, over allegations he issued a threat on Christmas Day to an official from the Albanese government-backed administration that took control of the CFMEU in 2024.
When asked about the allegations at the time, Setka said he did not threaten anyone, telling this masthead: “People should just toughen up and drink a bit of concrete and harden up a bit … It is the building industry.”
He said CFMEU staff were behaving like “rose petals”, and claimed the prosecution against him was politically driven.
The court previously heard the message which Sekta allegedly sent on Christmas Day told an official: “Hope you both have a shit xmas, you no good sell out c—s, go and have a sook to the hawk task force you weak woke f—ers.”
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