Statement from Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn on building and construction standards

28 April 2026

Master Builders Australia acknowledges and welcomes today’s announcement by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth regarding the consultation process for new building and construction industry standards.

We look forward to further details being outlined in the upcoming consultation and will continue to work constructively to secure lasting reform to ensure we do not repeat the failures of the past.

It is important that the Federal Government will not require employers to have enterprise agreement covered by an employee organisation to work on Commonwealth funded projects.

They have also recognised that the building and construction industry needs a standalone approach.

The following areas of focus are being considered in consultation:

• removal of union veto power over the choice of subcontractors
• development of a fit and proper person test to permanently remove bad actors from the industry
• establishment of a ‘joined-up approach’ for enforcement by existing regulators
• removing the role of so called ‘industrial fixers’, who operate outside the Fair Work Act
• how to ensure that unlawful behaviour such as bribery does not occur
• Improvements to whistle-blower protections and dispute resolution processes.

These proposed new standards are broadly aligned with the many of the recommendations of past inquiries into the sector as well as key elements of Master Builders Australia’s six‑point plan to clean up the building and construction sector, released last month.

While we are at the start of a process that has much work ahead of it, Master Builders welcomes the direction of these standards and the upcoming consultation process.

Media contact: Dylan Hafey, Media Advisor

0497 330 064 | dylan.hafey@masterbuilders.com.au