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Master Builders Australia · Reform agenda
Built to Last.
Next steps to a permanently lawful, productive and sustainable building and construction industry.
Download Built to Last
Why this matters to Australia
A stronger construction industry matters to everyone.
Australia has an opportunity to restore integrity,
accountability and the rule of law.
We cannot afford to waste it.
Whether you are buying a home, running a business or paying taxes, the cost and performance of construction affect you.
Built to Last highlights rising costs across housing, commercial construction and infrastructure. With the industry accounting for 12 per cent of Australia’s GDP, its performance matters to the entire economy.
Criminality, corruption and intimidation undermine fair competition, erode confidence in our institutions and risk spreading criminal influence into other industries. Australia has a narrow window to deliver lasting reform.
53%
Increase in the cost of building a new home.
33%
Increase in commercial and non-residential
construction costs.
31%
Increase in heavy and civil construction costs.
33%
Increase in the cost of delivering roads and bridges.
Six-year cost increases cited in Built to Last. Roads and bridges form part of heavy and civil construction.
What success looks like
A lawful, productive and sustainable industry.
Master Builders supports an industry in which employers control projects, bargaining is flexible and free from coercion, government is impartial and unions act lawfully, with a focus on improving safety, efficiency and productivity.
Lawful and well governed.
An industry free from intimidation and criminal influence.
Employers in operational control.
Employers regain operational control over project and site operations.
Genuine bargaining.
Enterprise bargaining that supports productivity and genuine workplace-level agreement, not union leverage.
Greater productivity.
Increased efficiency, flexibility and performance in project delivery.
Impartial referees.
Government and regulators act as impartial referees rather than shaping industrial outcomes.
Constructive relations.
Representation focused on legitimate representation, safety and industry-wide cooperation.
The way forward
Lasting reform at three levels.
01 · REGULATOR
Effective industry oversight.
A Construction Industry Compliance & Corruption Agency, operating as an independent statutory agency, with strong investigation, enforcement and “follow-the-money” powers.
02 · UNION ADMINISTRATION
Accountability that lasts.
Public performance reporting, embedded governance and integrity standards, and an independent Administration and Transition Board, with the end of CFMEU administration tied to demonstrated reform outcomes, not fixed timeframes.
03 · INDIVIDUAL
Integrity and protection.
A fit and proper person test for union representatives, drawing on best practice in banking, financial services and gaming, alongside modernised protections for people who report wrongdoing.
The national conversation
Denita Wawn at the National Press Club.
Wednesday 11 November 2026
National Press Club, Canberra
Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn delivered Built to Last: Ending decades of corruption at the National Press Club, making the case for lasting reform across building and construction.
View transcript here View event details ↗