Victorian Labor should not be this close to the CFMEU. UPDATE: Packer denies backing Labor Jennifer Hewett on Victorian Labor's dangerous links to a shady union: (T) here's no doubt the conclusions of the counsel assisting the trade union royal commission are humiliating for a former prime minister and further tarnish the federal Labor brand and era... But ... (t) he real public interest is in what the evidence to the royal commission suggests about the current state of union behaviour and its continuing impact on a wide range of businesses and the broader economy. Try the long list of corruption, thuggery, criminal offences, blackmail, bribery, fraud, extortion and conflicts of interest. The 1000 pages of final submissions by Jeremy Stoljar cite many different examples of egregious behaviour of officials from familiar favourites like the Maritime Union of Australia, the Transport Workers Union and, naturally, the Health Services Union. But nowhere is the extent of the corruption more breathtaking and widespread than in the actions of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union in the building industry... [The] commission's findings may make [Victorian voters] more alert to the influence of the CMFEU on any Labor government and increase the pressure on state Opposition Leader Dan Andrews to distance himself from some of the most powerful of his union backers... Stoljar says, for example, that various CMFEU officials engaged in "criminal, unlawful and unprofessional conduct." Nor is this confined to the fringes of the union with Stoljar pointing to the existence of "a pervasive and unhealthy culture" that sees the law as something to be deliberately avoided, while those that speak out about union wrongdoing are to be vilified. According to the commission's examination of case studies involving the CMFEU, this culture includes "blackmail and extortion" along with boycotts, cartels and other anti-competition behaviour in Victoria and Queensland; death threats against a fellow union organiser in NSW; misuse of private details of Cbus industry super fund members and deliberate defiance of orders by the Fair Work Commission and judgments by the courts. Voters seriously want a party with these links, outlined in Parliament by Christopher Pyne?: It's important to know who the CFMEU is because I think many members of the public don't quite realise the kind of rogue union that we are talking about. This is a union that received a $1.5m record fine for criminal contempt of court just last year in 2014. So just this year in 2014 for its blockade of the Myer Emporium site. This is a union that's been found guilty of contempt of court 28 times since the year 2000, with links to gangland bosses like Mick Gatto through its secretary, with links to the Comancheros and the Rebels bikie gangs. And Labor's response to this, Labor's response to this information about the CFMEU which is quite public has been to welcome it back in to the Victorian Labor Party... Voters seriously want a party with these links? It could not sensibly be contended his history of financial support â¦ did not have some role to play. No wonder union bosses are so desperate for Labor to be back in charge. As I said yesterday, I find it hard to believe James Packer would back Labor, given its record and its ties: JAMES Packer today strongly distanced himself from racing identity Lloyd Williams's assertion that Victorian Labor would have the billionaire casino mogul's overt backing during the November 29 election campaign. Mr Packer ... said his company wanted to work with both sides of politics. This was after Mr Williams was recorded claiming to Labor leader Daniel Andrews that Mr Packer would "kick every goal he can for you..." ..."Lloyd is a very close friend of mine, but he did not speak to me before making his comments to Daniel Andrews and they don't represent my views,"" James Packer said. Any issues I had with the Victorian government in relation to a proposed gaming levy were fully resolved through negotiation and goodwill. I do not intend to get involved in this or any election. Crown will continue to work with whichever Government the public elects in the best interests of our Melbourne resort and our thousands of employees. Thanks to readers Peter of Bellevue Hill and bill b.