‘Enraged’ union boss defends naming and shaming Victorian Labor MPs who had ‘zero conversations’ with voters

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary, Luke Hilakari, said he was ‘frankly enraged’ to learn 23 Labor MPs or candidates had ‘zero conversations’ with constituents in the first two weeks of June. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

The head of Victoria’s powerful Trades Hall Council has defended naming and shaming 23 state Labor MPs and candidates for having “zero conversations” with their constituents in the past two weeks, saying they all need to “work their ass off” to stop One Nation’s rise.

Luke Hilakari wrote to MPs and candidates on Tuesday morning warning if they “don’t give a shit about winning”, they shouldn’t expect support from the union movement during the November election campaign.