![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/53e04fd82abfb3dfe186b908e94477f3.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nFormer CFMEU boss John Setka has labelled the union’s administrators “ALP hacks” who are running it into the ground in a tirade launched after his most recent court appearance.<\/p>\n
Mr Setka also vowed to fight charges against him after facing the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
The 61-year-old was arrested last month over an Instagram post he allegedly made featuring images of former administrator Mark Irving KC and assistant administrator Matt McGowan.<\/p>\n
“This a rouge’s [sic] gallery of shit bags from the administration,” the post began, with the author labelling some of the people depicted as “puppets” and “cowards”.<\/p>\n
He was charged with using a telecommunications device to menace, using a telecommunications device to offend and two charges of committing an indictable offence while on bail.<\/p>\n
He was also charged with similar offences in November last year and February this year.<\/p>\n
After a brief court appearance, Mr Setka today told reporters he stood by everything he posted.<\/p>\n
“I mean look, if I went and bombed a nightclub or I probably attacked a family with a machete or done a home invasion, I wouldn’t get put in handcuffs and I’d be put on bail straight away,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But I post the truth and they want to deny me bail and lock me up for four months.<\/p>\n
“Talk about woke.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
John Setka stood down as the head of the CFMEU in 2024. (AAP: Stefan Postles)<\/p>\n
Mr Setka also made inflammatory comments about Mr Irving and Mr McGowan.<\/p>\n
“They’re just driving the union into the ground and it’s an absolute disgrace,” he said.<\/p>\n
“They’re just a bunch of ALP hacks who are ruining the union based on fabrications and a whole heap of lies.”<\/p>\n
Mr Irving has been contacted for comment, while the union declined to make a statement on behalf of Mr McGowan.<\/p>\n
Before Thursday’s matters were adjourned, the court also heard Mr Setka had been charged with family violence-related offences.<\/p>\n
He told reporters the matter would be “heavily contested” and suggested it related to him taking a car that he claimed was his.<\/p>\n
His defence lawyers said they had received CCTV in relation to the matter this morning and hadn’t been able to review it yet.<\/p>\n
It was revealed Mr Setka’s lawyers are seeking additional material from prosecutors, which they indicated they would object to.<\/p>\n
He will next appear in court on October 9.<\/p>\n
Mr Setka served as the head of the CFMEU for more than a decade before stepping down in 2024 amid allegations that underworld figures had infiltrated major construction projects on his watch.<\/p>\n
Mr Irving was appointed as administrator of the CFMEU in August that year, and resigned in from the role in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former CFMEU boss John Setka has labelled the union’s administrators “ALP hacks” who are running it into the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1003,1109,22737,1005,260,1334],"class_list":["post-86755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-melbourne","tag-cfmeu","tag-court","tag-john-setka","tag-mark-irving","tag-melbourne","tag-union"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}