Controversial union boss' wife 'blows almost six times the legal alcohol limit after being pulled over for speeding with her two young children in the car' after Boxing Day 'brawl with her husband'
- Union boss John Setka will face court following an alleged argument at his home
- Setka, 54, was arrested after a dispute with his wife, lawyer Emma Walters
- Police were called to the couple's west Melbourne home on December 26
- Hours later Walters was pulled over 300km away headed for Adelaide
- She allegedly blew a BAL of 0.282 and had her two young children in the car
- Setka posted a statement saying his family had been under 'enormous strain'
The wife of union boss John Setka was allegedly drunk and speeding with her two young children in the car after the couple got into a huge fight.
Emma Walters was pulled over on the Western Highway in Pimpinio, 300km northwest of Melbourne, on her way to Adelaide about 8pm on Boxing Day, according to the Herald Sun.
She was stopped by highway patrol just hours after Setka, 54, was arrested when police were called to the couple's home in West Footscray, Melbourne.
Mr Setka, the Victorian leader of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU), will face court next week after having a dispute with his wife, lawyer Emma Walters (pictured)
The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union boss was charged with a 'court order offence' and will face Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 9.
Walters, 43, allegedly blew a blood alcohol level of 0.282 and was given a summons to appear in court next week, according to the publication.
'Two children aged 5 years and 7 years were in the car with her at the time,' police said.
Share this article
The couple met when Walters, a former industrial lawyer, was working at the union and their relationship is believed to have broken down.
Setka has been convicted 59 times, including four times for assaulting police, and 72 of his union's representatives are facing more than 800 alleged violations.
The CFMEU has already been fined more than $1.4 million this financial year - which is only half over.
The Government immediately seized on Setka's alleged behaviour to use as an election issue against Labor in the lead up to May's federal election.
Mr Setka posted a statement online with the union's letterhead on Wednesday night saying his family were under 'enormous strain' (pictured)
Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer called Setka a 'grub' and demanded Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who is a former ACTU president, condemn him.
Setka posted a statement online with the union's letterhead on Wednesday night saying his family were under 'enormous strain'.
'For well over thirty years now I have dedicated my life to the health and well-being of construction workers and their families, and on more occasions than I care to remember, my passion and bluntness has landed me in the headlines and not always for the right reasons,' he said.
'Over the last three years my wife Emma and my children David, Kate and Johnny have suffered immensely from the ongoing political and ideological attacks on myself as a union leader, with the possibility of losing their husband and father to a prison sentence.
'This has been an extremely enormous strain on our family unit and it has taken it's toll on each of us as individuals.
'I ask that while family members are seeking to recover from this tumultuous period in their personal lives that they are given the privacy to do so.'
The matter is being dealt with by Victoria Police's Westgate Family Violence Investigation Unit.
Mr Setka, 54, (pictured) was arrested and charged with a 'court order offence' and will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 9
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
