So the Senate has sunk the

bill to place the militant CFMEU into administration? So the government is squealing that the Opposition and the Greens do not want the mess to be cleared up?

Well...no, hang on a moment. If the government was really interested in cleaning the mess up they would be doing just what the Opposition and the Greens want. I would go further and say that the union needs to be done away with altogether. It is much too powerful and much too corrupt. 

A number of smaller unions could then take the place of this big one. There would also be a ruling to prevent any current office holders from holding office in the future. Membership would be genuinely voluntary and no union funds would be passed to the Labor party.

Yes, in my dreams. The reason the government's legislation is so weak is because the Labor party depends on the involuntary donations of union members to fund their election campaigns. 

Yes, I know that it is said "but big business funds the Coalition in the same way". There are however some differences between the way in which the funds are donated. If you are a business, especially a big business with shareholders, you have to be accountable for how you donate. If the shareholders don't like it then they can withdraw their support. Directors have to be able to justify what they are doing. Union members do not have that choice. It may seem as if they do but the reality is different. It also needs to be recognised that big business donates to the Labor party in the hope of getting what it wants (often planning permission) or because they need to keep the union on side. 

How do I know this? I have seen the evidence for myself in the office of a local MP. I reluctantly helped out there one year - reluctantly because I have never wanted to join a political party. I was the acting secretary for six weeks. I had to open the mail - and write letters. It was all too obvious what was going on. 

No union should be as powerful as the CFMEU. They are costing business, particularly the construction industry, hundreds of millions of dollars. Construction managers get around $200,000 a year - and that does not include some of the other "benefits". My GP, who takes responsibility for the health of such people, gets less than half that, works much longer hours and does not have any of the same "benefits".

Perhaps it is time to reconsider the role of unions. I know one thing. They should not be there to provide funds for the Labor party any more than business should be there to provide funds/bribes to both sides.