One of Australia’s most high-profile former union figures has made headlines again after revealing he has been targeted with death threats, as he fronts a Melbourne court over allegations of abusive and harassing correspondence with a Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) administrator.
Sixty-one-year-old John Setka, who served for decades as secretary of the CFMEU’s Victorian and Tasmanian branch before stepping down in July 2024, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to face charges stemming from alleged improper communications sent last year. Law enforcement officials allege that Setka sent a series of threatening, offensive, and abusive emails to the union administrator in October 2024, followed by an additional harassing message sent on Christmas Day. The former union heavyweight has confirmed he will contest all charges against him.
During the Wednesday hearing, Setka’s legal team requested an adjournment to the proceeding, explaining that they had submitted a formal request to Victoria Police to turn over key undisclosed documents related to the case. Alex Turner, the police prosecutor handling the matter, told the court that of the six documents Setka’s team has requested, police intend to raise objections to the release of several. Turner noted that some of the requested materials are held by the CFMEU itself, not by Victoria Police, while other requests are overly broad and would place an unreasonable administrative burden on law enforcement to fulfill.
The court confirmed that a subpoena will be issued to compel the production of the contested documents, with a dedicated two-hour hearing scheduled for September to resolve the disclosure dispute. When media outlets applied for public access to court records linked to the case, Setka’s legal team requested that the former union leader’s residential address be redacted from all publicly available files. Setka’s lawyer told the court that the redaction was necessary because his client is currently the target of active death threats, which are still being investigated by Victoria Police.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse following the hearing, Setka brushed off the threats, responding “I’m really happy about it” when asked how he felt about the ongoing danger. Setka was arrested in November 2024 in relation to the harassment charges, and stood down from his long-held leadership role with the CFMEU three years ago [correction: July 2024], citing what he called “ongoing false allegations” as the driving force behind his decision. The case is scheduled to return to Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for the next procedural step on September 3.