‘Toxic’ culture blamed for keeping women out of lucrative construction sector

Steven Miles has rejected criticism that women are missing out on perks at some Qld building sites, saying they would benefit from the construction of schools and hospitals.

Premier Steven Miles has rejected criticism that extraordinarily generous conditions in the construction industry because of the controversial BPIC policy were benefiting a male-dominated sector.

He said on Thursday that female-dominated industries were also the winners because of the hospitals and schools being built, and because BPIC sites have female toilets.

Queensland’s construction sector has the lowest rate of female participation of any industry, with insiders saying “toxic masculinity” is locking women out of the sector.

Premier Steven Miles has defended the government’s controversial Best Practice Industry Conditions policy, which locks in extraordinary penalties for workers on state government construction sites, saying “our construction workers work very hard, often under difficult circumstances”.

More than 95 per cent of the 240,000 workers “on the tools” on the state’s construction sites – the group most likely to attract the extra allowances under the policy – are men.

But while the construction sector is the big winner under the BPIC policy, the same penalties and conditions have not been applied to sectors dominated by women – health care (about 77 per cent women), education (74 per cent women) and retail (57 per cent).

In response to criticism the extraordinary construction conditions were benefiting a male-dominated sector, Mr Miles said a key element of BPIC was to attract more women into the industry.

Premier Steven Miles has defended the Best Practice Industry Conditions policy. File picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

He also said female-dominated industries such as health and education would benefit from the infrastructure built by the construction sector.

“It includes requirements, for example, that they have women’s toilets on site,” Mr Miles said.

“So it’s one of the key objectives of our projects to get more women into those industries.

“But our other industries, our direct state government employees, will benefit from the infrastructure that these projects are delivering.

“They will work in the hospitals, they will work in the schools and so it’s important that we get the workers that we need to deliver those projects.”

The Premier said the government was concerned with poor retention and conditions in the industry for female workers but insisted BPIC provided opportunities for women.

“It’s the BPIC sites where women are supported, where they have toilets – the other sites that some in the industry are pointing to where the standards are lower, they are worse for women,” Mr Miles said.

“BPIC is all about getting decent conditions on our building sites and conditions that are suitable for women.”

But insiders have told The Courier-Mail that it’s not just a lack of amenities keeping women out of the sector, with the masculine culture, sexism and gaps in pay all keeping women out of the sector.

“A lot of women, particularly the younger women that the industry is trying to attract, just don’t feel comfortable on those worksites,” one insider said.

Another said: “The sites are very blokey and while some of them have gotten a little better, there is still a huge way to go. If you were to walk around a typical government work site, you would be lucky to see a handful of women on the tools.”

The National Association of Women in Construction’s journal found workplace culture and conditions had led to a “leaky pipeline” of women in the industry, with women about 40 per cent more likely to quit the industry than men.

Female tradies in Queensland have reported sexism, bullying and hazing. File picture

A new Master Builders Australia report found bullying, sexism and hazing remained hurdles to women staying in construction, along with “mental health issues (arising) when trying to navigate poor workplace culture”.

There also remained a significant gender pay gap, with the report finding “government-imposed quotas make women feel uncomfortable and they question if they are only employed because regulation requires it”.

One woman in the sector said: “During a scaffolding inspection, a subbie was snickering and calling me ‘dear’ and ‘luv’ when I pointed out defects. When I walked off, he turned around to his mate said, ‘God, I hate that b--ch’.”

Another said: “You do have comments like, ‘hey … can you go in and maybe just unbutton your shirt a little bit?’ They say it as though it’s a joke.”

A government spokeswoman said BPICs were “our mechanism to ensure there are women, First Nations people, trainees and apprentices on job sites around the state”.

“We won’t resile from supporting well paying, safe job opportunities for women in the construction and manufacturing sectors,” she said.

She also said the government “understands that economic security is essential for women to live prosperous, safe, and successful lives”.

“That’s why we are investing over $16m in women’s economic security initiatives as well as $645m to provide free kindy,” she said.

“This funding package takes the total investment in kindergarten to $2bn over four years and includes extra investment to attract and retain a quality workforce.”