ACTU official 'honest' on law breaking

The ACTU president has defended her colleague Sally McManus who said it was okay to break unjust laws.

ACTU president Ged Kearney has come to the defence of the union body's new secretary, describing her as being "refreshingly honest" in her comments about breaking unjust laws.

Ms Kearney was standing up for colleague Sally McManus on Monday, arguing reaction to the comments was out of proportion because the vast bulk of union work was within the law.

"But I think what Sally said is refreshingly honest and very open and is actually a universal belief," she told ABC radio.