The Australian Building and Construction Commission should be re-established and a nation-wide inquiry held in the wake criminal allegations made against the CFMEU.
Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Australian Industry Group, said the allegations of criminal conduct by officials in the construction sector union linked to outlaw motorcycle gangs made it clear there should be a judicial inquiry into the union’s activities across the country.
Mr Willox said businesses involved in the sector had been aware of these links for many years.
“None of this is a surprise. This is a national issue, not just confined to Victoria, and requires an urgent, coordinated inquiry,” he said.
Mr Willox said the South Australian Government’s police referral around links between the union and outlaw motorcycle gangs was a strong message that should be taken up nationally.
“The Victorian Government has also rightly written to the Victorian Police and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) to investigate these alarming allegations and moved to suspend the CFMEU construction division from the state Labor party.
He said there was a risk that separate actions across the states would lead to a fragmented response to the claims made in recent days.
“This is not just rotten apples, it’s a rotten barrel. There needs to be a coordinated national response that a judicial inquiry can provide.”
Mr Willox said it was estimated that the CFMEU participated in the bulk of $40 billion of taxpayer-funded national infrastructure projects undertaken by private sector contractors in 2023.
“The abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) has given the CFMEU the green light to embark on campaigns of intimidation and retribution on building sites across the country. The ABCC needs to be re-established as a priority to clean up the sector.
“The bulk of construction workers who turn up every day to proudly do their job are rightly appalled at the growing links between the union and organised crime,” he said.
