The ALP Paved the Way: How Labor Opened the Door for Dutton’s Deregistration Agenda

In 2019, the Morrison Government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill tried to grant courts the power to deregister unions and disqualify officials based on repeated breaches, even minor ones. It was widely condemned. The Labor Party stood with unions, arguing that it was undemocratic, dangerous, and a direct threat to worker power. The bill was defeated in the Senate.

But in 2024, the Albanese Government did something far worse.

The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Administration Bill, removed 270 elected CFMEU officials in one fell swoop, without a single court hearing, without formal charges, and without proof of wrongdoing. It didn’t require evidence. It didn’t even pretend to follow due process. It was the government choosing to dismantle a union’s leadership by decree.

And by doing so, the ALP gave the green light for what Peter Dutton has promised if elected: full deregistration of the CFMEU.

The Administration Bill set a dangerous precedent, that Parliament can override union elections, remove leaders, and control governance without court oversight or member input.

Labor MPs may say they were restoring order or cleaning up the union, but what they really did was legitimise the idea that governments can dismantle unions by legislation.They opened the door. And now Dutton is ready to kick it in.

Peter Dutton has made no secret of his ambitions. He’s publicly promised that under a Coalition government, he would seek to deregister the CFMEU entirely.

The ALP’s Administration Bill gave him exactly what he needed: a precedent. The Coalition no longer has to argue for new powers or court processes, Labor has already proven that you can legislate union leadership out of existence without proof, without trial, and without a vote from members.

The groundwork has been laid. And it wasn’t laid by the Liberals, it was laid by Labor.

A Gift to the Anti-Union Right

The Morrison Government tried to attack unions, and the union movement along with the labor party fought back.

But the Albanese Government gave Dutton the tools he couldn’t get through the Senate. They handed him a weapon, and now working people across Australia are at risk.

If the CFMEU can be wiped out by legislation, what’s to stop Dutton from going after the MUA, the ETU, the RTBU, PPEU, the AMWU, or any union that dares to fight back?

What used to be a court matter is now a political one. That’s not just a betrayal, it’s an existential threat.

The Administration Bill wasn’t reform. It was a union-busting Trojan horse. And it came from a Labor government that owes its very existence to the union movement.

By removing the CFMEU’s elected officials without trial, the ALP abandoned union democracy and set the stage for a full-scale assault on the right to organise.

Peter Dutton is ready. He’s already said what he’ll do. And now, thanks to the ALP, he doesn’t have to come up with a plan, he can just follow Labor’s lead.

What Do We Do Now?

We organise. We fight back. And we make sure our votes reflect our values.

We must put Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party dead last on every single ballot paper.
Their agenda is clear: crush unions, deregister the CFMEU, and hand control of workplaces to bosses and billionaires.

But we also send a message to Labor: this betrayal is not forgotten. We shift the political ground back to the left, where working people come first — by voting for progressive parties and independents who commit to putting Liberals last too.

This election is not just about who governs. It’s about what kind of movement we build.

Vote for those who will stand with workers.
Vote for those who will never vote to silence our unions.
Vote to shift the goalposts, not to the centre, but back to the people.

Because if we don’t draw a line now, there’ll be nothing left to defend.

Unions must stand united in calling for:

• The repeal of the Administration Bill;

• A renewed commitment to union autonomy and member democracy;

• And full resistance to Dutton’s promise to deregister the CFMEU or any other union.

We cannot allow Labor’s mistake to become Dutton’s legacy.

Because if we let this slide, we’ll look back and realise: the first union was dismantled by Labor, and the rest were finished off by the Liberals.

And by then, it’ll be too late.