Interview with Lizzy Pearl, Weekend TODAY show 

Event: Interview with Lizzy Pearl, Weekend TODAY show
Date: 24 August 2024, 8.05am AEST
Speakers: Denita Wawn, CEO Master Builders Australia
Topics: CFMEU Administration 

E&OE 

Lizzy Pearl, host Weekend TODAY: Well, after more than a month of controversy, the construction arm of the embattled CFMEU has been forced into administration. For more, we are joined by CEO of Master Builders, Denita Wawn in Canberra. Denita, good morning. Master Builders has long pushed for this, tell us what’s been your reaction? 

Denita Wawn, CEO Master Builders Australia: Well, relief, I think, is the word to say. We have been expressing concerns around the CFMEU for decades, and we’ve now had a situation where for the last month, we have been lobbying and advocating hard for administration. So yesterday was a day of relief, but it is also a first step in a long process that we know needs to be undertaken to ensure we never get here again. The administrator has a lot to do, but equally, we think parliament still has more steps they need to implement. 

Lizzy: Yeah, there is a lot of work to do, a lot to unpack, talk us through the impact this will have on those employed in the building industry. 

Denita: Well, we’re hoping from yesterday that we see calm on building sites, that we don’t see the problems that we have in terms of bullying and coercion on building sites that we’ve seen for decades, that we don’t have situations where people are forced into enterprise agreements, that they are not intimidated, they don’t have death threats, and so we hope there is a sense of calm. I note that there has been calls for rallies next week, that is unnecessary. The union is still in place, but it is in place under a lawful administration to ensure the wellbeing of the workers, but also the wellbeing of the industry. The industry is highly unproductive because, in part, of the activities of the CFMEU in the past, and we hope that the industry as a whole can work now collaboratively together to ensure that we improve productivity so we can get on with building for all Australians. 

Lizzy: Yeah, there is certainly a lot of heat still around. Now a new administrator in place, but what needs to happen to make sure the needs of union members are still being met? 

Denita: Well, I think the really important thing is that the administration does ensure that the needs of union members are still met. That was the benefit of administration, as opposed to deregistration. We support administration, but we support administration under the purview of a strong administrator. So, our expectation is every person in that union that has undertaken unlawful activity, whether criminal or civil, should no longer be in a role. They have shown their true colours in not being a lawful official of the union. We saw 270 lose their positions yesterday, but we are concerned that there are more there, and that is part of the administrator’s role is to do that forensic examination of people’s behaviour and to ensure also that the financial wellbeing of the union has been updated and ensured, as opposed to any concerns around where money has gone. So there is a big job ahead of the administrator, but equally, we need, as the Master Builders, to protect our members and strongly encourage our members, now an administrator is in place, to go forward to regulators with their concerns, that they have been concerned with before the administrator has put in place, the administration is in place, and now it is the time for people to come forward.  

Lizzy: Yeah, there’s a big task ahead. Denita Wawn from the Master Builders, thank you for your time this morning. 

Media contact:
Dee Zegarac
National Director, Media & Public Affairs
0400 493 071
dee.zegarac@masterbuilders.com.au