Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 7:19:32 to 7:28:28
A debate ensues regarding the government's historical voting record on construction industry legislation and the current effectiveness of the CFMEU administration.
Topics: Workplace relations, Integrity, Law reform
Speakers: Senator Jess Walsh, Senator Jane Hume
Okay, Minister, is the objective of putting the CFMU into administration to clean up the CFMEU or to remove corruption from the construction industry.
Objective of the administration is for there to be a clean union to to remove construct uh Corruption from the union.
To remove corruption from the union.
Yes. And it is also as Mr. Furlong gave evidence before to ensure that there is a strong and effective union to represent workers in what is a dangerous occupation, what can be an insecure occupation, what can be a poorly paid occupation in some parts of the sector.
Can I ask whether it's the government's position that corruption in the construction industry is limited to the CFMU?
I think there's evidence that there is corruption in the industry as a whole. And some of the other measures that the government has been taking have been referenced here, including the joint working group. And there was some evidence given earlier today about the National Construction Industry Forum as well, which has released a blueprint about how to work together as an industry, unions, employers and government in a tripartite way to build an industry today and for the future that is productive, that is safe, that has a good culture that is sustainable and that group is doing a considerable body of work as well in order to drive a better cleaner construction industry.
Minister, you said earlier in your testimony that your government was doing more than any previous government to clean up construction, could clean up corruption in the construction industry. Can I just ask you in the past 10, 12, 15 years? Legislation that has been brought to this parliament to do exactly that has been rejected over and over again by the Labor opposition. I'm going to ask you about various pieces of legislation. Perhaps you can tell me which way your party in opposition has voted. The Fair Work Amendment, Fair Work Registered Organisation's Amendment in 2013. It was voted on in 2014, I understand it's before your time, but surely you know how your how your side of Parliament voted.
I can I can tell you, Senator, that I'm not going to have that information, I'm sure it's on the on the public record.
I just didn't want to teach you how to suck eggs, so I can tell you. The Fair Work Registered Organisation's Amendment Bill voted on in 2014 was rejected by Labor. The Fair Work Registered Organisation's Amendment Bill voted on in 2015 in March was also rejected by Labor. The building and construction industry improving productivity bill in 2013, that was voted on in August 2015, that was also rejected by Labor. The building and construction industry consequential and transitional provisions bill, that was voted on in 2015 in August, that was also voted against by Labor. Fair work registered organisations amendment number two, that was 2015 again rejected by Labor. The building and construction industry improving productivity bill 2013 number two, that was voted on on the 18th of April 2016, rejected by Labor. The building and construction industry consequential and transitional provisions bill of 2013, that was voted on on the 18th of April 2016. That too was voted against by your party. Are you telling me that Labor, this Labor government, by putting the CFM EU into administration is doing everything it can, everything in its power to clean up corruption in the construction industry? That was your testimony.
Yes, Senator, what I have said is that we are taking the strongest action available to clean up the construction union and the construction industry and you know we have your government's record on display. No, to clean up the statement that you just made. But it remains the case that on your watch, corruption in this industry flourished. On our watch, this union is in administration, and as the general manager has said of the Fair Work Commission, the administration of this union is doing more than any other participant in the industry to clean up this industry. What does it look like for the government? That is a result of the actions that this government has taken.
What does success look like for the government in its efforts to clean up this industry? What are your KPIs?
Well, Mr. Furlong gave evidence before about the objects of the Act that set up the administration and we want to see a clean union and we want to see a union that is effective in advancing the interests of safe and secure jobs in the construction industry. This administration is a significant part of the government's agenda and another significant part of the government's agenda is working together in a tripartite way across the whole industry through the National Construction Industry Forum, which we created because we believe that the solutions for this industry need to be found with the industry as a whole, and that is why we have bought NCIF together. It's why the Minister is participating in that forum with industry and of course we welcome the blueprint for the future of the sector that NCIF has worked together to deliver and that is a blueprint that is supported by more work, including a charter for the sector to set shared goals and expectations as well as the procurement frameworks that we were talking about before to make sure that when public dollars are going to construction projects that the work that is being done is conducted in a way that is lawful, that is productive, that is safe, that is sustainable.