Former CFMEU boss John Setka taken to court over AFL umpire putsch

In May and June last year, the Fair Work Ombudsman alleges, Setka threatened the CFMEU would disrupt or delay AFL building projects if the AFL did not dismiss McBurney, who is the league’s head of officiating.

In its statement, the ombudsman said it would allege that Setka had 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.

In a statement later published in The Australian, Setka allegedly said: “They will regret the day they ever employed him.”

Setka stood down from his position as CFMEU chief after this masthead launched the Building Bad investigation into the union’s links to organised crime and its culture of intimidation.

The union was subsequently placed in administration over the concerns raised in the investigation.