Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

The construction industry is our nation's second-largest industry in terms of GDP, contributing eight per cent to our gross domestic product. It employs nearly 1.1 million Australians and is Australia's third-largest employing industry. There are nearly 350,000 small businesses involved in the building industry, with 98 per cent of all of these businesses employing fewer than 20 employees. Our construction industry builds offices, apartments, roads, shopping centres, hospitals, universities, schools, airports—the infrastructure that we as Australians rely on every single day of the week. This industry is far too important to all of us in Australia for it to be handed back to the lawless CFMEU.