Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Registered Organisations Commission together with the Australian Building and Construction Commission did an effective job in guarding against union misconduct and lawlessness in the construction industry. Amendments (1), (9) and (25) of those that I've moved would remove provisions in the bill which go to the abolition of the Registered Organisations Commission.

The opposition is also completely opposed to the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. We oppose this abolition because, effectively, it hands over control of the construction industry to the notoriously militant CFMMEU. The name of that union is a byword for bullying, intimidation, lawlessness, criminal conduct and thuggishness in the construction sector. When Labor last abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission—they have form in this—two-thirds of working days lost to industrial action were in the construction industry. The abolition at that time caused the rate of disputes in the construction sector to increase by 46 per cent at a time when disputes in other sectors declined by 31 per cent. It is not okay, for example, for women in the construction industry to be targeted with sexist slurs and physical threats and that, sadly, is what we have consistently seen with the CFMMEU, and the Australian Building and Construction Commission has been an effective means of protecting against some of the worst of those excesses. Amendments (2) and (10) of those I've circulated would remove the provisions in the bill which abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

The opposition is trenchantly opposed to the multi-employer bargaining provisions contained in this bill. They amount to Labor's intent to kill off enterprise bargaining and to replace it with a new centralised wage-fixing system and umpire. Amendments (3) to (8), (11) to (15), (23) to (24), (26) to (28) and (30) would remove all of the provisions in the bill relating to changes in multi-employer bargaining. We are opposed to the bill's expansion of the single interest stream that would allow the Fair Work Commission to authorise workers with common interests to bargain together. Business groups are united in their condemnation of the common interest provision being so broad as to be simply ridiculous. The mere fact of two businesses physically being located together would satisfy the very wide definition of 'common interest.' The ACCI, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that this test exposes the Australian economy to sectorwide strike action, disrupting supply chains and key industries at a time of extraordinary global volatility. Amendments (16), (20) and (22) would implement this change.

We're opposed to the compulsion in the legislation of the single interest employer authorisation provisions. Amendments (17) and (19) give effect to our opposition to the government's compulsion provisions. We oppose the way the bill has dealt with the question of public interest; amendment (18) gives effect to our position there. 'Common interest' needs a clear definition; amendment (21) gives effect to that. Amendment (29) would provide for the minister to be required to conduct a review of the operation of the amended provisions of the act after they have operated for 12 months.

This is a truly dreadful bill which will take Australia back to the grim, dark days of the 1970s, with pattern bargaining, repeated strikes and a sluggish and unproductive economy. That is what we face, and our amendments seek to deal with the most egregious elements of this bill. (Time expired)

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