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Former CFMEU Leader John Setka Arrested, Charged Over Alleged Threatening Emails

The charges arise from a Taskforce Hawk probe into alleged criminal conduct in the construction industry.

Overview

  • Victoria Police and AFP officers arrested the 61-year-old at his Footscray home about 6:40am and seized a mobile phone and an iPad.
  • Setka faces seven counts of using a telecommunications service to menace, harass or offend, with a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment.
  • Investigators allege he sent threatening, offensive and abusive emails to the CFMEU administrator after a notice to produce on October 27 and a follow-up letter on October 28.
  • He was granted bail and is scheduled to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on January 30, 2026.
  • Police said the arrest forms part of Taskforce Hawk’s ongoing construction-industry investigation and urged confidential reports from anyone with relevant information.