Master Builders Association of Victoria erupt into open war over wasteful and illegitimate financial spending and unfair appointments

Three Master Builders directors in Victoria have hit out at claims of wasteful and illegitimate financial spending and unfair appointments in the association.

Master Builders are dealing with the CFMEU fallout. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

Victoria’s peak building industry association has erupted into open warfare, with three directors complaining of a “toxic culture”, wasteful and illegitimate financial spending and unfair appointments.

Three members of the seven director board of the Master Builders Association of Victoria filed a complaint to the Fair Work Commission on Wednesday alleging there had been a consistent failure of the board and executive team to follow policies and procedures.

In an open letter to members, Greg Cole, Lisa Hollingsworth and Raymond French said the board’s alleged failures had led to unfair appointments of people to external positions, including the boards of Incolink and Master Builders Australia.

The trio said the MBAV had acted against the interests of its members “for its own financial benefit by way of its involvement with Incolink, specifically when it comes to the negotiation of enterprise agreements with the CFMEU and other unions.

They claimed there was “a toxic culture on the board of the MBAV where directors are attacked and/or bullied for asking questions or expressing different ideas, especially female directors”.

“It is important to note that the above concerns are based on our opinions formed through our acting as directors of the MBAV,” they wrote.

“These concerns are still yet to be substantiated by way of an independent investigation by the FWC or any other regulator or independent third party.

“We have made this report to the FWC after exhausting all options to deal with these issues internally.

“It is a regrettable state of affairs that we have reached, however we three feel that we would not be exercising our obligations to you as members and stakeholders unless we made this report.”

The public split is embarrassing for the building employers who are facing significant challenges, including dealing with the fallout from the CFMEU administration and building unions seeking to implement a generous 21 per cent pattern deal through the construction industry.Building unions have signed up more than 600 companies to a CFMEU 21 per cent pay deal in Victoria, attacking national employers for trying to ban “egregious” pro-union clauses from enterprise agreements.

Electrical Trades Union Victorian secretary Troy Gray recently claimed Master Builders Victoria was at odds with its national arm by supporting the contentious template agreement.