Innes Willox urges Senate to back Ensuring Integrity Bill to stop union law-breaking

The Australian Industry Group has joined resource employers in urging Senate crossbenchers to back the Ensuring Integrity Bill.

AIG’s Innes Willox says CFMEU fines have had no noticeable impact on the union’s financial strength or its unlawful conduct. Picture: Kym Smith

The Australian Industry Group has joined resource employers in urging Senate crossbenchers to back the Ensuring Integrity Bill, claiming its passage would give the construction union a “strong incentive to stop its law-breaking”.

In a letter to Senate crossbenchers today, AI Group chief executive Innes Willox asked them to vote for the bill, which lowers the threshold for deregistering unions and permits courts to disqualify union officials if they commit two civil law breaches.

Mr Willox said giving more power to the Federal Court to cancel an organisation’s registration would give the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union “a strong incentive to stop its law-breaking and abandon its approach of treating fines as just another cost of doing business”.

“The CFMEU’s repeated law-breaking is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue,’’ he said. “Numerous respected judges have expressed dismay at the blatant disregard that the CFMEU has for the rule of law.”

Jobs and Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer is meeting crossbenchers this week to try to convince them to back the bill, which she said was a “very strong priority” for the Morrison government.

Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott said on Monday that parliament needed more than the Australian Building and Construction Commission to take on the CFMEU.

Mr Willox said the CFMEU had been fined more than $16 million over the past decade or so for unlawful conduct, but the fines have had no noticeable impact on the unions’ financial strength or its unlawful conduct.

“In a civilised society no-one and no organisation can be allowed to act as though they are above the law,’’ he said.

“To allow the CFMEU to continue its law-breaking would seriously undermine the critical role of the Commonwealth Parliament. It is important that Parliament acts to protect the integrity of Parliament and the courts by passing the bill.”

He said the bill contained fair and sensible changes that would apply equally to unions and registered employer associations.