Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 5:54:12 to 6:03:50
Inquiry into the monitoring of the CFMEU administration's progress and the development of a formal tracker for reform milestones.
Topics: Workplace relations, Integrity
Speakers: Murray Furlong, Senator Maria Kovacic, Unknown Speaker
Thank you, Chair. Um Mr. Furlong, at the last estimates you told the committee, um, and I'm my questions relate to the CFMEU that you work on a trust but verified basis and meet weekly with senior officials from the administration. Is that still the case?
Yes, I meet very regularly with officials, senior officials from the Does Mr.
Crosby attend those meetings?
I do with Mr. Crosby on a least needs basis, on this basis. My fortnightly meetings, scheduled four-nightly meetings are with the chief of staff.
With Mr Crosby's chief of chief of staff, chief of staff, yes. Um would you mind detailing how the Commission keeps track of the administration's progress? Like is there a progress tracker, a similar document the Commission uses for this?
The administrator is independent of me.
Yeah.
And he's independent of government for all intents and purposes, he has all the powers of all officers under the rules of the organisation vested in himself, and he conducts the union in accordance with the operation of the union in accordance with the rules of the organisation and in uh in line with the scheme of administration and obviously the obligations under the amended RO Act and Section 323 of the RO Act. Uh I my interactions and the Commission's interactions with the administration and Office of the Administration and the CFM EU construction general division many times each week. They because they they've got two purposes, one is to clean up that union, and that the second is to advocate on behalf of the members of that union with enterprise bargaining with ensuring that the work health and safety of members on site.
So I received the original purpose of the union is maintained, not what it has become.
Absolutely. And in terms of the meetings and the interactions, so right of entry permits, enterprise bargaining, other interactions around annual returns, other obligations under the rest of the organizations act. But in addition to that, so the CFMU is still still has to meet all of its obligations under the REST Organisations Act that apply to all registered organisations. So we ensure that they are complying with all of their obligations under the RO Act. In addition to that, I obviously have a significant interest in ensuring that the scheme of administration is then effectively applied. When I appointed Mr. Crosby, I gave him attached with his letter of instrument of appointment, a list of matters that I would like him to consider focusing on over the next 12 months. My assessment is that they are essentially doing more than everyone, every other industry participant combined. And I can talk to some of the areas of the work that they're sort of focusing on at the moment, some very significant impactful work that I believe will significantly improve workplace relations in the building construction industry.
But is there is nothing that you specifically track? So as an example, if I if I reframe it in your report on Mr. Crosby's administration as sorry, appointment as administrator, you said that he explained what success for the administration would look like at the end of the three years. So has that then so I take your your answer to my question, so I'm assuming that there is no tracker or similar document because we believe there's no need for one. So are there any benchmarks or milestones that Commission has set down or can mark progress against? So we actually have an understanding of how the administration is progressing, and I note your comments that you are satisfied. Um but beyond that, do you have is there any um documented process to substantiate that?
To hopefully provide you with some some comfort. The administrator in relation to this piece of work intends to consult widely on this matter and will engage stakeholders at every level.
So just so two things. So I can understand there is no document or process by which progress is measured. It is is purely a matter of satisfaction of both yourself and the administrator. Is that correct?
In terms of the form. Process, there's there are ongoing conversations and consultation. They have outlined a program of work, they have a strategic plan in place.
I get that. And in terms of if you were on a board, you'd have a risk tracker of you know, if you were having a changeover, organisational changeover, anything like that, and you'd check off each of those to ensure they're completed. Is there any such document?
That document is being prepared at the moment. Okay. As you're aware.
So it doesn't yet exist.
In that format? No. Okay.
And the preparation of that document begin?
Well, it will be, as I just indicated, the CFMU in my conversations with the CFMU have been contemplating the development of your word tracker for a number of months. It has been on their work programme. They obviously have a lot of competing priorities, but it is something that they are from my understanding from my conversations with them and questions that I've asked. They intending to prepare that. And the basis of that will be that the administrator will have to be satisfied before approaching the minister about whether or not any of the branches of the division should be released from administration. Bear in mind.
Has the Commission recorded any progress on these two issues in particular since Mr.