Anthony Albanese has refused to countenance the re-establishment of the Australian Building Construction Commission or a similar body, saying it failed to curb union militancy when it existed, and that the police were best placed to combat criminal behaviour in the industry.

Facing calls from business, the opposition and former ABCC commissioners for a longer-term fix for the construction sector, the prime minister dug in his heels, saying cleaning out the CFMEU through the use of external administrators was sufficient.