Victorian unions cut off Labor as election nears

The Australian Services Union (ASU) and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) have halted their financial and volunteer support for the Victorian Labor government ahead of the state election on November 28. The ASU is currently broadcasting paid attack ads in key suburban electorates, while the ETU has redirected funds previously planned for the campaign toward internal legal defense.

The ASU, a Labor-aligned body, has launched a digital advertising campaign in Premier Ben Carroll's home seat of Niddrie and other marginal areas. The ads feature a large image of the premier with the text "Ben lied. Labor lies." Tash Wark, secretary of the ASU's Victorian branch, stated that the union will not conduct door-to-door canvassing for Labor in the final weeks of the campaign. She said, "Premier Ben Carroll has chosen not to show up for workers and so workers can't show up for him this November."

The conflict centers on a policy dispute regarding local government funding. The ASU argued it had an agreement with former premier Jacinta Allan to remove the cap on rates that councils can charge residents. This cap limited councils' ability to raise wages for staff. Carroll scrapped the policy shortly after replacing Allan in the July leadership spill, citing concerns that higher rates would increase cost-of-living pressures for non-council workers.

The ETU resolved on Wednesday not to run a statewide third-party campaign for Labor at the 2026 state election. A copy of the resolution indicates the union will reallocate resources to prepare for and defend members in the construction royal commission. The document describes the shift as a response to the impacts of a potential majority Coalition government on blue-collar workers. The ETU previously spent more than $1.6 million supporting Labor in the last election cycle.

The ETU resolution cites internal polling received in early October that projected Labor would win only 25 seats. This figure is 10 seats lower than forecasts made before the leadership change. The resolution notes that media reports of similar polling trends show Victorian Labor has lost support since the leadership change. At the 2022 election, the ETU's advertising campaign reached 2 million people on Facebook and 1.4 million on YouTube. No ads have been published for the current election.

A Victorian government spokesperson responded to the unions' actions by stating that Carroll is fighting for working people. The spokesperson claimed a Liberal-One Nation coalition would scrap penalty rates, sack 31,700 public sector workers, end paid parental leave, and implement $40 billion in cuts. Wark said the ASU would resume campaigning for Labor if the government reinstated the rates cap policy.

The ETU had previously opposed the royal commission into allegations of corruption on government building projects, which it termed a lawyers' picnic. In June, the union was part of a three-group advertising blitz challenging claims that corruption on these sites cost taxpayers $15 billion. One anonymous ETU source noted that the union movement has been muted toward Labor in the lead-up to the election.

One Labor member of parliament, speaking without authorization, characterized the ETU's move as throwing the toys out the cot because they did not get their way. Carroll is seeking a fourth consecutive term for Labor. The latest polling cited in the report places Labor behind the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis at 44% to 55%. The rise of One Nation may complicate the final result.