The glass door of the Federal Government’s Brisbane building was smashed as the tense crowds rallied, but CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith has insisted the damage was “an accident”.
Speaking to Today, Smith refuted any suggestion violent tactics were used on the “significant day of action”.
“The incident in Brisbane was unfortunate,” he told Today.
“The union has reached out to the building owner and we are making good and fixing that window and I don’t want one piece of broken glass to really distract from what are critical issues for working people in this country.”
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Smith said the sentiment among the protesters was better described as frustration than anger.
“I think our voice was heard,” he said.
“Working people are under siege when it comes to cost of living, a crisis that’s been caused by corporate greed not by workers, by profit-taking by the big end of town.”
Protesters walked off the job in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns and Brisbane, calling for salaries to increase in line with inflation.
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