'I'm the woman at the centre of all this': Setka's wife reveals she was the victim

"I'm the woman at the centre of all of this," Ms Walters said from the steps of the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning, after her husband was convicted and fined $1000 for sending her a string of abusive text messages.

"Despite a lot of rumour and innuendo there is no one else involved but John and myself," Ms Walters said.

"The truth of this story is that it's simply about my husband and myself putting our lives back together.

Ms Walters' identity could not be revealed until she consented to identification.

"I very much want you to report it. I have just identified myself and it's time for the charade to end," she told reporters on Wednesday morning.

"The emotional strain our family has endured is not something I would wish on any marriage.

"I want to be very clear though, that while John and I have at times deeply hurt one another, there has never been any form of physical violence in our marriage or in our home."

Ms Walters also spoke about calls for her husband to step down from his leadership role with the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union following alleged statements about domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty.

"I also want to be clear that John will not be resigning," Ms Walters said.

"It's not what his members want, it's not what I want. John has spent 35 years dedicated to tirelessly defending the health, safety and living standards of tens of thousands of construction workers and their families."

"He has always put his members first, at times at the expense of our family, but this is a sacrifice we willingly bear.

"His resignation would serve as a devastating loss to the union movement and would bring more unnecessary suffering to our family.

In court earlier, Magistrate Belinda Wallington demanded that Mr Setka take responsibility for his "nasty behaviour" after she fined him $1000 for harassing a woman.

The CFMMEU leader was convicted after pleading guilty to using a carriage service to harass Ms Walters on three occasions in late 2018 and early 2019.

Mr Setka's lawyer Marcus Dempsey told the court that the trade union leader had suffered significant punishment through the blanket media coverage of the case and that stress and anxiety caused by the publicity should be taken into account.

But Ms Wallington told the lawyer that Mr Setka must show more contrition to the court.

"Now is the time to take responsibility for the events that have led him to court," Ms Wallington said.

Describing the text messages Mr Setka sent to his wife as "unedifying" and "nasty", Ms Wallington said she was especially worried about the misogynistic language used in the texts.

"It's the language, it's the misogynistic language is what is causing concern," Ms Wallington said.

Mr Setka's alleged harassment of Ms Walters, included a stream of calls and messages including calling her 25 times in one night and sending her 45 text messages including calling her a "treacherous Aussie f---en c---", a "f---en dog" and a "weak f---en piece of shit".

Ms Wallington ordered that Mr Setka complete a men's behaviour change program, that he prove to the court that he had done the course and that he pay $1000 to Djirra, the Indigenous family violence group.

Mr Setka, who arrived at court with Ms Walters, did not speak during the hour-long hearing.

Every seat in the courtroom was taken as the summary of Mr Setka's offending was read aloud by a police prosecutor.

He nodded as Ms Wallington spoke about the effect family violence could have on children.

Ms Walters and Setka's son sat next to him in the front row, however there was no show of union support outside court.

Outside court, Mr Setka told a waiting media pack that he took responsibility for his behaviour."I screwed up and it's up to me to fix it," he said.

Mr Setka said he had been under pressure from a blackmail case involving Boral and that he encouraged other men to seek professional help, as he had.

"It's very hard, we've all got our pride but you know what, I wish we had done it earlier," he said.

He said he was embarrassed by the text messages he had sent.

"Some of the language is very inappropriate," he said.

"Times have moved on and people have got to learn that sometimes language like that is just as hurtful as physical violence."

Ms Walters said that the couple had "embarked on a process of healing".

"Both of us are taking responsibility for our behaviour and we are getting help from professionals to make sure we never hit rock bottom again," Ms Walters said.

"John has had the courage to confront his own behaviour and to change. And to encourage others to seek help before they get as low as we did.

"It's sad to see that so many people have completely disregarded this. Instead they have preferred to pile on the efforts to tear both of us down.

"These issues have been used to prosecute a political agenda. And it is our family who have been harmed."

The union leader was convicted of using a carriage service to harass and of breaching a court order and also placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond.

Mr Setka had already indicated he would plead guilty after several other charges against him were dropped.

His conviction is the latest chapter in a protracted dispute engulfing the Labor Party and the union movement.

Mr Setka has rejected calls by Australia's most senior union leader, Sally McManus, to resign from his senior role with the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, as she declared "no one is bigger than the union movement".

While thirteen unions have rallied behind Ms McManus, Mr Setka still has the unswerving support of his Victorian branch and the national construction division of the large, wealthy and powerful CFMMEU.

Mr Setka's refusal to step down as Victorian branch secretary has left Labor exposed to government accusations that it is tainted by its financial and factional ties to the union, a major donor to the party.

Earlier this month federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese announced he would move for Mr Setka's expulsion when Labor's national executive meets on July 5.

Mr Albanese, Ms McManus and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had all refused to comment on the charges faced by Mr Setka while the matters were before the courts.

However, all three condemned Mr Setka after The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reported he had told a meeting of his union's national executive that the work of Ms Batty had led to men having fewer rights.

The Electrical Trades Union and the United Firefighters Union have also supported Mr Setka to remain in his job, saying his position was a matter for members to decide.

The electrical union has also threatened to withhold lucrative donations to the ALP.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or beyondblue 1300 224 636, or the Victims of Crime Helpline 1800 819 817.