Enough is enough. Government must clean up the CFMEU.

Attributable to Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn:

Last night we saw another exposé into the operations and organised crime links within the CFMEU.

How many more reports of disgustingly corrupt, unlawful, and violent behaviour must people see before something meaningful and lasting is done? Enough is enough.

As Master Builders has said since day one, the Administration of the CFMEU is only the first step.

The Coalition today has detailed a range of measures that seek to tackle the law-and-order problems that are currently thriving in the industry:

• Ensure that any official of the CFMEU who has indulged in lawbreaking is never again allowed to hold office in a registered organisation or go anywhere near a worksite.
• Install a building and construction industry watchdog with more powers than the previous Australian Building and Construction Commission.
• Target organised crime by introducing RICO-styled laws (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) that allow police to target groups that engage in a pattern of criminal behaviour.
• Establish an AFP-led taskforce into criminal conduct in the industry, involving AUSTRAC, ASIC, ATO and other financial service regulators.

Master Builders has produced Breaking ‘Building Bad’ which outlines a range of proposals for law reform to ensure positive industry cultural change is achieved and remains lasting. We thank the Coalition for committing to some of these measures today.

The Albanese Government cannot rely on the administration alone to fix this abhorrent and alleged criminal behaviour that we have seen displayed over the past nine months.

Master Builders implores the Prime Minister and Workplace Relations Minister to provide the resources necessary to act on this and explore all possible options to clean up this mess and pass legislation during the next sitting.

During last night’s 60 Minutes episode, concerns were once again raised around the role CFMEU Enterprise Bargaining Arrangements play in facilitating some of this behaviour.

We continue to hear from builders on the ground around ongoing coercion and bullying tactics employed by union representatives to accept these pattern EBA conditions including who they can and cannot hire on site.

It is clear the industrial relations system in building and construction is broken and law enforcement is inadequately resourced to fix this.

There have been four royal commissions, hundreds of court judgments, and dozens of other reports and independent inquiries that forensically examined the unlawful and illegal conduct of building unions.

They all reached the same conclusion – there are problems unique to building and construction, and therefore there is a need for an industry-specific workplace regulator or specific rules for the industry.

Taxpayers and consumers ultimately pay the price through higher construction costs.

Master Builders supports the work of the CFMEU Administrator, Mark Irving SC, in uncovering some of this behaviour but the deeply rooted problems in certain areas of the industry go beyond his remit and require further Government action.

To give the administrator the best chance of success, we urge all parties and crossbenchers to pass legislation to tackle the law-and-order problems as soon as practically possible.

If these additional measures fail, only then, should the notion of deregistering the CFMEU be considered.

There is no place for crime in the building and construction industry. Workers, businesses, and the broader community deserve better.

Media contact: Dee Zegarac, National Director, Media & Public Affairs

0400 493 071 | dee.zegarac@masterbuilders.com.au