THE Coalition Government has today reintroduced into Parliament legislation to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), prompting strong support from AREEA and other business organisations.

AREEA executive director of policy and public affairs, Scott Barklamb said the resource industry employer group is lobbying crossbench senators to ‘vote up’ the bill and not be distracted by ‘politics, spin and sideshows’.

“It is time to focus on protecting the interests of those who work in our construction industry as well as the interests of all Australians in ensuring our commercial and social infrastructure can be constructed on time and in a cost competitive, lawful and productive manner,” Mr Barklamb said.

“The Royal Commission has revealed very serious and disturbing allegations of corruption and illegality in the trade union movement, just as the Cole Royal Commission did in 2003, and the Giles Royal Commission did in 1992.

“These are not academic abstractions or legal debating points – they represent real and serious daily threats to ordinary Australians working and doing business in our construction industry.

“It is time for all Senators – Labor, Greens and crossbench – to heed the findings of not one, but multiple Royal Commissions, and restore the ABCC with the full powers and responsibilities that made it so effective prior to its abolition in 2012.”

With both Labor and the Greens remaining opposed to the re-introduction of the ABCC, the government is relying on support from a crucial few crossbench Senators. Its previous attempt to reintroduce the bill in August failed with crossbenchers Glenn Lazarus, Ricky Muir and Jacqui Lambie all voting it down.

The government has made significant efforts to engage with all crossbench Senators on the merits of a stronger industry watchdog. However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has also warned that if the legislation fails to gain support a second time, the circumstances could trigger a double dissolution election.

In reintroducing the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013 to parliament today, Leader of the House Christopher Pyne further reaffirmed the importance of a restored ABCC to the government’s workplace relations policies and importance to industry and the wider community. He said the move was necessary to re-establish ‘a genuinely strong watchdog that will maintain the rule of law to protect workers and constructors and improve productivity on building sites and construction projects, whether onshore or offshore’.

“This bill will reverse Labor’s changes to the laws which underpinned the Australian Building and Construction Commission before it was abolished in 2012,” Minister Pyne said.

“The bill prohibits unlawful industrial action, unlawful picketing, and coercion and discrimination. Penalties that are high enough to provide an effective deterrent will apply to breaches of these provisions. A wide range of effective remedies such as injunctions will also be available to the ABCC and persons affected by unlawful behaviour.”

AREEA has long campaigned in support of the ABCC and will keep members informed on the outcome of the vote and any regulatory changes in this area. For more information, please contact AREEA’s policy team on 1800 627 771.