{
  "id": 16851092,
  "title": "Two key unions turn on Labor, running attack ads and pulling campaign funds a month out from Victorian election",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/two-key-unions-turn-on-labor-running-attack-ads-and-pulling-campaign",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T05:10:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian",
    "slug": "the-guardian",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/28/unions-turn-on-labor-attack-ads-campaign-funds-victorian-election-exclusive"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two major unions in Victoria, the Australian Services Union (ASU) and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), have abandoned support for the Labor government ahead of the upcoming state election. The ASU has launched attack ads labeling Premier Ben Carroll as a liar, while the ETU has decided not to run a statewide campaign for Labor, instead diverting funds to defend members facing a construction royal commission.\n\nThe ASU's attack ads, featuring the slogan \"Ben Lied. Labor lies,\" target Premier Carroll's decision to scrap a long-standing agreement to increase council rates, which unions claim would benefit workers' wages. The union will not doorknock for Labor in the coming weeks, instead opting to run these ads in key seats held by the government.\n\nThe ETU, which previously supported Labor, will not run a third-party campaign during the 2026 state election, instead reallocating resources to support its members in the royal commission and responding to the perceived \"attack on blue-collar unions and their members from a majority Coalition government.\" The union cites recent polling predicting Labor would win only 25 seats, compared to the previous forecast of 45 seats.\n\nBoth unions emphasize the government's failure to address workers' concerns, with the ASU specifically targeting the lack of action on penalty rates, public sector job cuts, and parental leave. The ETU, which had previously backed Labor, now perceives the government's policies as detrimental to their members' interests.",
  "summary": "Exclusive: ASU launches ‘Ben Lied. Labor lies’ ads while ETU diverts money to defending members at royal commission Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two major unions in Victoria have turned their back on the Labor government a month out from the state election, with one launching attack ads calling Ben Carroll…",
  "key_points": [
    "Australian Services Union launches attack ads against Premier Ben Carroll",
    "Electrical Trades Union diverts campaign funds to royal commission defense",
    "Both unions criticize Labor's failure to address workers' concerns"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The withdrawal of financial and ground support from these major unions signals a breakdown in the traditional alliance between Labor and organized labor over key worker protections.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}