A message from Ben Davis about the Registered Organisation Commission

As you probably have heard, yesterday, Malcolm Turnbull’s Government abused police resources and raided our offices over a donation to Getup! from 2005/6. This act is an extraordinary misuse of taxpayer funds by a desperate government.

The Registered Organisation Commission (ROC) left with a small number of papers which they took from the premises in a black briefcase. We will be investigating legal options. If you are a federal government or regulator, you can’t act in such a thuggish manner without any possible response from us and those that support us. Questions need answering about this whole process.

ROC commenced an investigation last Friday afternoon and during which time they have not asked for any documents. That they choose to take the extreme measure of an AFP raid — and called in the media in beforehand to make sure they witnessed it — shows that it was a political stunt and publicity exercise rather than a legitimate exercise of the law. We have provided every single document that we have ever been asked to provide, in this case, they didn’t even bother to ask. Every document that they were seeking was handed over willingly. We were quite proud eleven years ago to support GetUp! This is a typical bait-and-switch from the government.

We will continue fighting for what is right. Every second day an Australian worker dies at work, a situation that must change. Wage growth has frozen, and the rules that govern workplaces are broken. We have fought for superior wages and conditions for 131 years, and we won’t stop now.​

Ben Davis
Secretary, AWU Victorian Branch