Gilliard incorporated the ABCC into the Fair Work act by means of an inspectorate. For this Gillard was called out by the CFMEU at the 2009 ACTU congress in Brisbane. But Gillard even went further and claimed the CFMEU were thugs who would use violence and intimidation against employers and their supporters. The response from the 2,000 delegates on the floor of the congress was so vocal, then ACTU Secretary, Sharan Burrows, had to appeal for respect so that then deputy PM Gillard could finish her address.
Photo: Labor Ministry 2007. Rudd, Gillard, Tanner, Albanese, Swan. Ten years on only Albanese survived.
