"We are working very hard together to rebuild our marriage and are confronting the issues that led to the breakdown of our marriage."

TheSydney Morning Herald andThe Age reportedMr Setka told a union meeting last Wednesday that Ms Batty's advocacy work had led to men having fewer rights.

Mr Setka said he just noted in the meeting that lawyers had told him domestic violence laws had changed,and accused his"Labor hack"colleagues of leaking against him in order to seize control of the union.

"There was nothing denigrating,"he said."There was nothing terrible said about Rosie Batty at all."

"Everyone at that meeting knows that what has been reported is not what I said."

He said the person leaking against him was acting in a way that was"absolutely vile and absolutely disgraceful and the question should be:what is that person's purpose?"

Last month,Mr Setka told a Victorian court that he would plead guilty to using a carriage service to harass a woman in an alleged incident last year.

While he took leave from his position while facing criminal charges,on TuesdayThe Age andSydney Morning Herald reported thatMr Setka received full pay and entitlements for the six months he was not working.

Mr Setka said in a radio interview with Neil Mitchell on Wednesday that he still intended to plead guilty to harassing a woman when the matter returns to court in Victoria on June 26.

Asked if he regretted his actions,he said:"when it's put in its context,sometimes things aren't what they seem. Some things sound all pretty bad."

He said he was"restricted in what you can say"while the matter was before the courts,but added:"Yes,I've said some terrible things,I've sent some not too pleasant messages … I've received some unpleasant messages. It doesn't make it right,but when emotions are running high under a lot of pressure,we all say and do things we're not proud of."

Mr Setka's refusal to leave his powerful job sets up a showdown next month between the Labor Party and the Victorian branch of the powerful blue-collar union.

The CFMMEU influences Labor pre-selection in key seats and is an important party donor,and both Labor and the union movement have hesitated to move on Mr Setka,a key powerbroker.

On Tuesday,Mr Albanese said he wanted Mr Setka expelled from the party.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews,who swiftly backed the expulsion move on Tuesday,stopped short on Wednesday of calling on Mr Setka to resign from his union position.

The Premier said Mr Setka was elected by his members and"it's a matter of whether he retains the confidence of those members".

But Mr Andrews described the union boss's comments about Rosie Batty as"shameful".

"There is no context in which what he said about Rosie Batty is excusable. It's absolutely wrong,"he said.

Mr Andrews confirmed Mr Setka had been sacked from Victoria's Building Industry Consultative Council.

"The Treasurer Tim Pallas has today written to Mr Setka and advised him that the government is no longer prepared to have him serve on that body,"he said."The government will ask the union to provide another representative for the council."

Some of Mr Setka's colleagues and other union leaders were understood to be urging him to step down as secretary of the Victorian building branch of the CFMMEU.

Labor figures,including some of the party's most prominent women,lined up on Tuesday to condemn Mr Setka over his comments about Ms Batty and call on him to quit.

But ETU Victorian Secretary Troy Grey came out in open defiance of Mr Albanese in the wake of Mr Setka's media appearances,challenging the party leader to withdraw his"disparaging"remarks.

"Yesterday Anthony Albanese made disparaging remarks about Mr Setka and his alleged'views',"Mr Gray said.

"Well today we've learned they were based off of a complete fabrication and Albanese needs to withdraw."

"Mr Albanese should know better than to be led down the garden path by the enemies of John Setka seeking to spread rumours and lies about him for their own political gain."