Labor consulted CFMEU, shunned bosses on ABCC plan

Labor faces accusations it failed to consult with employer groups on this week’s decision to strip the construction watchdog’s powers to the ‘bare legal minimum’.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt. Picture: Getty Images

Labor faces accusations it failed to consult with employer groups on this week’s decision to strip the construction watchdog’s powers to the “bare legal minimum” after government frontbencher Murray Watt provided an update to the Senate.

In response to a question from opposition workplace relations spokeswoman Michaelia Cash in the Senate, Senator Watt on Thursday confirmed the government had consulted with the CFMEU in mid-June about its plan to gut the Australian Building Construction Commission ahead of its abolition.

A timeline provided by Senator Watt showed the government did not inform employer groups of its plan until July 19, a week before the decision took effect.

“Stakeholders were consulted about the government’s plan to abolish the ABCC on the following dates : on the 17th of June this year a meeting was held with the CFMEU construction division,” Senator Watt said. On the 21st of June this year, a zoom meeting was held with the AWU national executive. On the 29th of June, a meeting was held with the ACTU. On the 5th of July, a meeting was held of commonwealth, state and territory ministers with responsibility for workplace relations.

“On the 19th of July, a meeting was held of the national workplace relations consultative council at Parliament House. I’m advised that at this meeting, the minister informed stakeholders that ‘the building code will be amended to ensure that workers in building and construction are subject to the same rules to those in other industries’.”

Those present at the meeting included the Housing Industry Association, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the ACTU, Master Builders Australia, Australian Industry Group, Business Council of Australia, Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, National Farmers Federation and United Workers Union.

Senator Cash said no consultation had occurred “with the ABCC or industry groups in relation to the snap announcement last Sunday that ABCC powers would be pulled back to the bare legal minimum”.

“In fact he (Senator Watt) went further and said stakeholders were merely informed on 19 July that this would happen, but not when or how,” she said.

During this first sitting week, Peter Dutton also tried to link the Albanese government’s election promise to scrap the ABCC with the influence of the CFMEU.