Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Congratulations on your appointment, Madam Deputy Speaker Claydon.

We've had a very shouty minister at the table just now. It's a long way from the family friendly parliament he was talking about this morning. I will begin where he ended. I've really only got one question. Who's protecting the women on building sites? On everything that we have asked we've had these diversions about the Eureka flag or little quotes from court cases. I will make just one quote: the High Court of Australia found that the CFMMEU was a serial offender that engaged in whatever action and made whatever threats it wished without regard to the law. That's what the High Court of Australia said about the activities that we're talking about today.

Who is protecting the women? I asked the Prime Minister in question time about a particular case. It's not very savoury, but a lot of what goes on on building sites is not very savoury. Right now, the ABCC is taking action against CFMMEU official Gerald McCrudden for pushing and shoving a female health and safety manager. When the manager accused Mr McCrudden of putting words in her mouth, he responded, 'I would never put anything in your mouth. You're disgusting.' Does the government seriously believe that this ongoing prosecution of this vile behaviour is a waste of taxpayers' money? But when I ask the question—when we ask the question—we are diverted onto these other minor matters. The government will not admit what is really going on here.

The Prime Minister has spent a lot of time talking about priorities, doing things differently, kumbaya from the rooftops. Don't look at what they say; look at what they do. Their top priority is to dismantle the ABCC, the tough cop on the beat. That's prioritising what the CFMMEU wants over what Australian workers need. It's prioritising what the CFMMEU wants over what the Australian economy needs. It's prioritising what the CFMMEU wants over what women on work sites need. My question: who's protecting the women?

Our building and construction industry is vital to job creation, but that was trivialised, even though the Master Builders Association has sounded a warning and talked about a $47 billion cost of dismantling this watchdog. There are serious economic implications. You have to wonder who the Albanese government is protecting when it abolishes the ABCC. It's not workers. It's not women. It's not the economy. It's the CFMMEU. CFMMEU donations go in and policy comes out, that's the Albanese accord. CFMMEU donations go in and policy comes out.

Two royal commissions have identified systemic unlawful behaviour in the construction industry, physical assault, verbal violence, threats, intimidation, contempt of court. Why would there not be meaningful consequences for unlawful conduct in the construction industry, whether it's by unions or employers? The ALP has received, on average, nearly $1 million a year of donations from the CFMMEU and the MUA over the past two decades. That's the Albanese accord: donations come in and policy goes out.

Across Australia we know there are more than a million people employed in the construction industry. They're building the infrastructure that our communities need. They're building hospitals. They're building schools. There are more than 400,000 small businesses in the industry and they need a system that's free from intimidation. They need a system that's free from standover deals. They need a system that prevents this competition and this incredibly bad behaviour.

Before we restored the ABCC master builders and others estimated that building costs we up to 30 per cent higher. I was here in 2011-12 when we restored the ABCC. When we got that tough cop back on the beat the days lost to union standdowns or stop works reduced by a third. It's absolutely incredible that you, as the government, cannot connect the actions that the ABCC takes with work on building sites, whether it be protection, whether it be actually doing the job, whether it be frivolous interventions by the unions.

There are numerous CFMMEU officials before the courts. In recent years $16 million of fines has been imposed. How can you say that is a waste of taxpayers' money? But that's the Albanese accord at work— (Time expired)

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