Builders have accused the CFMEU of exploiting Labor’s new powers for safety delegates to avoid restrictions on entering building sites if they are not fit and proper, delaying projects and driving up costs.

The Master Builders Association has told an Albanese government review of its first tranche of industrial laws that the CFMEU’s practices of a “no ticket, no start” policy, unlawful stoppages and threats to builders not to use certain subcontractors returned “almost immediately” when the government abolished the building industry watchdog in late 2022.