Why is a construction union leader demanding the AFL sack its top umpire?

The Victorian union leader John Setka has demanded the AFL sack the head of its umpiring department, threatening shutdowns on league-linked building sites unless it complies.

Setka, the state secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, made the threats earlier this week in relation to Stephen McBurney, a former AFL umpire who was appointed head of officiating in March.

McBurney is also a former commissioner of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), a body repeatedly criticised by Setka, which was formally abolished by the Albanese government in 2023.

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