Former CFMEU boss John Setka facing fresh criminal charges
Former construction union boss John Setka has been arrested and charged for sending allegedly threatening and harassing messages to CFMEU administrators.
Former construction union leader John Setka has been released on bail following charges of threatening and offending through a 300-word Instagram post. Mr Setka, who resigned from the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) in 2024, will be allowed to post online as long as he refrains from publishing threatening or obscene content about the union's administrators.
The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that Mr Setka, who appeared via video link from a police station, was arrested over the Instagram post and faces additional charges of using a telecom communications device to menace, offend, and commit an indictable offence while on bail. Magistrate Nicole Spicer considered Mr Setka's role as a caregiver for his 91-year-old mother in hospital as a mitigating factor and ruled that the conditions would not interfere with his right to political commentary or free speech.
Mr Setka, who stepped down from the CFMEU in July 2024 after 12 years in the position, is scheduled to return to court on September 3.
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