Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Labor’s ‘best practice’ provisions to cost millions

Queensland Labor’s best-practice principles for the Brisbane Olympics should be renamed the comrades’-snouts-in-the-trough enabling laws, writes Des Houghton.

The Federal Government is working behind the scenes to block Queensland’s sweetheart deal with unions that threatens to add millions to the cost of the Brisbane Olympics.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is at last getting the message that the Queensland Government rules enshrine fake “best practice principles”.

These rules actually harm most workers in the building trades while punishing small businesses.

In my opinion Labor’s best practice principles should be renamed the comrades’-snouts-in-the-trough enabling laws.

And in an attempt to hide the story, the State Government has introduced laws to keep Olympic Games documents secret.

It’s a brazen attempt to muzzle the press.

Information Commissioner Rachael Rangihaeata agrees, and has condemned the proposed laws.

I was happy to see LNP senator Amanda Stoker expose the best-practice charade this week in a terrific speech to the workplace relations special interest group at the Brisbane Club.

Stoker is a lawyer, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations and Assistant Minister for Women.

“The Morrison Government has a duty to ensure the Australian public get value for money,” she said.

Who could disagree?

She added: “Queenslanders shouldn’t be ripped off to benefit the union allies of the Queensland Labor Party.”

Stoker added a hopeful note: “Thankfully, the Morrison Government’s agreement to provide 50 per cent funding for the Brisbane Olympic Games was made on the condition that there be a jointly owned, funded and run Olympic Infrastructure Agency.

LNP senator Amanda Stoker

“This provides the Morrison Government with the opportunity to ensure the Brisbane Olympics doesn’t cost hundreds of millions more than they should.”

I hope she is right.

If not, there will be hell to pay, with construction union thugs threatening delays to Olympic infrastructure projects.

Morrison should now be insisting that taxpayers get value for all federally funded projects in this state including hospitals, roads and dams.

The challenge for the Prime Minister is to find a fairer model.

Taxpayers should not be burdened by disreputable union-led governments.

Said Stoker: “Queensland Labor have chosen to drive up costs for taxpayers to benefit their union mates.

“It is an own goal of epic proportions _ in the long-term denying construction workers the sustainable wage growth and job security that comes from a healthy economy.’’

She spoke of “tribal allegiances” and how Queensland Labor governments had made decisions “that benefit their union allies at the expense of hardworking taxpayers they’re elected to represent”.

Labor’s “best practices” includes questionable best practice industry conditions.

“The Queensland Government knows it can’t force the BPIC terms and conditions on contractors,” Stoker said.

“They know it’s illegal to coerce or unduly pressure someone to make, vary or terminate an existing workplace agreement. That law is well established.

“And they know it would be illegal to discriminate against tender respondents who don’t have an EBA in the same or equivalent terms as the best practice industry conditions.’’

Stoker said Queensland’s best practice rules came close but did not breach legal thresholds.

“The BPP even recommends that officers involved in applying the BPP seek legal advice to ensure compliance with federal workplace relations laws,” she said.

“Despite this, tenderers face enormous pressure to either adopt the terms and conditions in BPIC, or propose alternate ways in which they’ll meet or exceed them.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

“They’re even required to outline how they’ll use their best endeavours to engage subcontractors who will provide terms and conditions at least equivalent to the relevant BPIC. This is despite the prohibition on ‘jump-up’ clauses in the Building Code. ’’

It means contractors or subcontractors who fail to apply or match the BPIC terms and conditions of employment almost certainly won’t get the work.

“And while smaller subcontractors might have remained competitive in the past by being agile, that ability to do things differently to the major contractors is removed entirely by this policy. It’s as good as putting them out of business.’’

Stoker said federal regulators had examined Queensland’s rules and have been unable to find any clear breaches of the law.

“This is because the Queensland Government has very carefully designed these policies to pressure companies to adopt or match the pay and conditions contained in union agreements, without breaching federal workplace relations laws,” she said.

“Companies are not being forced or ‘coerced’ – at least to the high standard the law requires.

“They’re just left with the choice between tendering for government work and continuing with their existing enterprise agreements.

“Hardly much of a choice.

“Similarly, tenderers aren’t being told which subcontractors they can or cannot engage, they’re just being asked what they’ll do to engage subcontractors who will apply the BPP.

“If they don’t provide a satisfactory answer, they won’t get the work.

“This might not meet the legal threshold of coercion or undue influence, but the effect is the same.’’

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s antics undermine faith in the law and damage the enterprise bargaining system at the core of Australia’s industrial relations framework since prime minister Paul Keating’s industrial relations reforms in the early ’90s.

Des Houghton is an independent media consultant and a former editor of The Courier-Mail, Sunday Mail, Sunday Sun and Gold Coast Sun