CFMEU’s criminal conduct signals need for a standalone industry specific regulator

18 July 2026

New allegations of intimidation, coercion and criminal conduct involving the CFMEU across the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to Victoria, demonstrate the need for urgent national action.

Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn says enough is enough, and that governments had not taken sufficient action to protect innocent people from the reported abuse.

“There has been a litany of royal commissions and inquiries recommending what needs to be done. We have to get on with the job,” Ms Wawn said.

“The Administration of the CFMEU was the first step. The Federal Government must now deliver long-lasting reforms that stop history from repeating itself further once the Administration is lifted.

“This conduct has also contributed to higher costs across the economy, with productivity-sapping and cost-increasing provisions in CFMEU-backed enterprise agreements making it considerably more expensive to deliver construction projects.”

Master Builders Australia is calling on the Federal Government to establish a dedicated building and construction industry regulator with sole responsibility for compliance and enforcement across criminal, industrial relations and competition law. This should be underpinned by strong investigative, compliance and enforcement powers.

The regulator forms part of Master Builders’ six-point plan to end corruption in the sector, drawing on recommendations from previous inquiries and outlined in the organisation’s Breaking ‘Building Bad’ report.

“History has already repeated itself. Decades ago, the BLF was known for similar conduct and the measures put in place at the time clearly failed to prevent those same elements re-emerging in the CFMEU.

“The evidence demonstrates the need for a dedicated industry regulator, and the time to act is now, not after the Administration ends,” said Ms Wawn.

Master Builders six-point plan can be found here.

Media contact: Dylan Hafey, Adviser, Media & Government Relations

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