Australian Constructors Association
The Australian Constructors Association (ACA) welcomes the progress on the terms of reference for the Victorian Royal Commission.
The announcement of the Terms of Reference coincides with a panel featuring representatives from the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), Infrastructure NSW, John Holland and the CFMEU Administrator, that examined how recent improvements in industrial relations can be embedded through lasting behavioural and cultural change.
ACA CEO Peter Colacino said Australia needs a construction industry that is safe, lawful and productive, with the same expectations of behaviour applying to everyone.
"One of the strongest messages from today's discussion at Foundations and Frontiers was that change cannot be superficial or attack only the symptoms, the cause of bad behaviour has to be considered and in-scope," said Mr Colacino.
"Employers, unions, contractors, clients, regulators and elected officials must all be held to the same high ethical and legal standard.
"Productivity should be at the heart of the nation's industrial relations agenda."
Mr Colacino said the progress on the Royal Commission must be read in the context of the behaviours that have infiltrated the sector, alongside the reform effort of the National Construction Industry Forum (NCIF) Construction Industry Charter and proposed discussion paper on the Construction Standards.
"The Queensland Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU has pointed to the type of bad behaviour that has been able to develop," Mr Colacino said.
"It is clear that the old guard of the CFMEU enabled criminal behaviour to be institutionalised. This type of behaviour, from any party, must not be condoned.
"Freedom of association must be non-negotiable. Every worker should be free to choose whether or not to join a union without pressure, intimidation or coercion.
"Safety must always come first, but safety should not be weaponised for industrial purposes. The interface between industrial relations and work health and safety legislation must be a focus of the Royal Commission.
"We need to remove the incentive to use false flag safety claims to drive an industrial relations agenda. It hurts productivity, it hurts project costs and it hurts genuine efforts to improve safety.
"Industrial relations, workplace health and safety, and procurement each have a distinct role to play. The objective should be a system that works together, not one that overlaps, duplicates or creates confusion.
"Australia needs a workplace relations system that is lawful, fair and productivity focused. If we get that right, we'll create a safer industry, attract more people into construction and deliver projects more efficiently.
"This is an opportunity to build a construction industry that is accountable, high-performing and fit for building the future."
About us:
The Australian Constructors Association is the only representative body for contractors delivering vertical and horizontal construction projects, as well as undertaking infrastructure asset management. Our members construct and service the majority of major infrastructure projects built in Australia every year. Our goal is to create a more sustainable construction industry.
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