Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 6:25:39 to 6:34:03
Senators and the Minister debate the necessity of a Senate Select Committee into corruption within the construction industry versus current administration efforts.
Topics: Workplace relations, Integrity, Government spending
Speakers: Senator Jess Walsh, Senator Maria Kovacic, Senator Jane Hume, Unknown Speaker
Minister, can you tell us or give us some comfort that the government will insist that law enforcement respond to the work that the administration is doing in order to make sure that the work that the administration is doing is significant and has its intended
Well, Senator, of course, we're in the situation that we're in today where we have Mr. Furlong giving evidence that the administrator of the CFMU is doing more than any other participant to clean up the industry because of uh decisions of this minister and previous ministers of this government to take the unprecedented step of passing legislation to allow the administration of the CFMEU. And we've heard evidence today about the effects of the administration, uh, including that on commencement of the scheme, there were 200 officers of the union who were removed at that time. Uh, and since then uh an additional 150 people uh removed, um constituting about half of the workforce of the CFMEU. Uh and uh I note that the progress that has been made on cleaning up uh the industry under this government far outweighs and outstrips um progress made in the previous decade. I don't think a single person uh was removed from the CFMEU by the ABC, uh let alone around 350 um officers and people removed. And uh if this government had not taken the decision to pass legislation allowing the administration uh of this union, uh we would not be uh in the position that we're in today, um, where we're getting this evidence from officials uh and where uh Mr. Furlong uh is saying that um it is in fact the administrator of the CFMEU who is doing more work than any other participant to clean up this industry, um, including um employers uh in the industry as well. Um so we are um uh extremely um focused um on delivering um a clean union uh and a clean industry uh and that is exactly what we are doing.
Minister, if I could interject with Senator Hume's permission, given what we've heard today from the Commission and perhaps more importantly what we haven't heard and your comments about cleaning up um construction more broadly. Why hasn't why has the government voted three times this year against establishing a Senate Select Committee into corruption in construction? So not the CFMEU specifically, but corruption in construction. So you're saying that the administrator has done more than anyone else, including organisations involved, so why not allow every crossbench senator who voted supported the inquiry, and only Labor and Greens opposed it. So that actually is counter to the statement that you just made. So perhaps you can answer why the government is so determined to avoid proper scrutiny of corruption in the whole construction industry.
Um there is more scrutiny uh on uh corruption in the construction industry because of the decisions that this government has taken. Uh that coalition that coalition governments uh never took. Uh we have taken the strongest action available to us by placing the CFMEU into administration, um, a step that was never taken by the coalition. Uh indeed under the coalition and under the ABCC corruption flurry. In the construction industry. And we are, of course, we are, of course, doing the hard work of cleaning up the construction industry. The evidence today has been that it is the administrator of the CFMEU that is doing more than any other participant to clean up the industry. Mr. Crosby, the administrator provides a report to Parliament, a biannual report to Parliament that's been available. Indeed, Senator Kavasik, you've just said that you've been reading that report. There is transparency scrutiny. And of course, Mr. Furlong is answering all of your questions today here in Senate estimates again, but I repeat that this government has done more than any other government on record to clean up corruption in the construction industry, including in the construction in the construction union.
So it's your government's view that a national inquiry isn't necessary to investigate potentially billions of dollars lost to corruption and construction, particularly as they relate to Commonwealth construction and infrastructure projects. Not necessary.
We have taken the strongest action possible at the end of the way. We have taken the strongest action possible at the Commonwealth level.
No, you haven't. This is the point. The strongest action possible would be having a concurrent administrator and an inquiry here. That would be the strongest action possible. In fact, the government has resisted the strongest action possible. Because the administrator's responsibility is only surround the CFMEU, not the industry more broadly. And we know that there are senators even around this table from your own side that suggest that corruption runs far deeper than just the union. So why would the government resist an inquiry into corruption in the construction industry more broadly? Particularly when we're now hearing evidence that potentially law enforcement agencies aren't pursuing the work that the administrator is doing.
And I repeat again, Senator, that we have passed legislation to allow the administration of the union. There has been evidence today that 200 officers of the union were removed at the time that the scheme was implemented, and around half of the workforce has been removed from the CFMEU. Respectfully, there is no inquiry of this Parliament. And indeed, no previous government could achieve that. And the ABCC did not achieve that. And that is just, of course, part of the work that the government is doing. The government has also sought to bring the industry together to work on a code and a framework for the industry going forward. We are a government that believes that we need unions and employers in the room together to make progress.
So the government has repeatedly opposed a dedicated Senate inquiry that could actually fill the gaps of the Royal Commission that is being held or is in Victoria and the Queensland Commission of Inquiry that would perhaps enable the AFP to do the things that they're currently saying they can't do. The CFMEU administrator has declined to appear at estimates. So how do you Minister expect the Parliament to actually scrutinize the work that the Administrator is doing? Because that is our job.