State Libs urged to act if Shorten abolishes building watchdog

Employers will press state Liberal governments to set up agencies to police the construction union if Bill Shorten wins the election.

Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn says employers will urge voters to call on Labor to change its policy and keep the ABCC. Picture: Mathew Farrell

Employers will press Liberal governments in three states to set up stand-alone agencies to police the construction union if Bill Shorten wins the election and scraps the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Master Builders executives are lobbying Liberal ministers in NSW, South Australia and Tasmania to establish state construction regu­lators in the event a federal ALP government delivers on its commit­ment to abolish the ABCC.

The Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union said Master Builders was acting like a branch of the Liberal Party by engaging in a “confected, anti-union hissy fit”.

Master Builders said it was concerned the scrapping of the ABCC would result in a return to ­“bastardry” on building sites and drive up the costs of commercial projects. Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn told The Australian that employers would urge voters before the election to call on Labor to change its policy and keep the ABCC.

“The level of alarm about in our industry about Labor’s threat to abolish the ABCC is profound,” Ms Wawn said. “It will give the green light to construction union bullies and a surge in bullying, disruption and costs which the community will pay. It’s no surprise the industry in these states are looking to what action they can take.”

She said if Labor did not reverse its plan, “they will be saying to Australian families it’s OK for them to pay more for schools and hospitals”.

“It’s extraordinary any government would want to undermine the nation’s second-largest industry,” she said.

Opposition workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor said: “Labor believes in one set of laws for all workers in this country. Instead of attacking workers, the Liberals should focus on keeping people safe at work.

“The ABCC is unfair, undemocratic and unjustified. It is fundamentally unfair that builders and construction workers have fewer rights than other Australians.”

Dave Noonan, the national secretary of the CFMEU construction division, said the call demonstrated that most of the key Master Builders executives were “Liberal Party hacks”. He said there were serious problems facing the industry, including the issue of flammable panels, “but the MBA sat on their arse on that issue”.

“They are a paid-up branch of the Liberal Party; you would not expect anything different,” he said.

Brian Seidler, executive director of Master Builders NSW, said if there was a change in government federally, “we will see increases to the costs of building”. He said builders would put a premium on their prices to take into account the industrial “bastardry” that would return if the ABCC were scrapped.

Ian Markos, chief executive of Master Builders in South Australia, said his members were concerned the end of the ABCC would see a revival of union militancy.