A former Deputy President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission has been selected to deliver a plan to reform the building and construction industry.
Federal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt said Dr Rod Harrison would work with National Construction and Industry Forum (NCIF) members to develop a blueprint for the sector.
Minister Watt said Dr Harrison was an experienced industrial relations practitioner, having been a former Deputy President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (now Fair Work Commission) and former Deputy President of the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission.
“In those roles, Dr Harrison helped stakeholders to navigate complicated structural change, experience with collaborative arrangements, and resolved more than 8000 cases by conciliation, mediation and arbitration,” he said.
Minister Watt said the Government, along with NCIF members representing building and construction industry employers and unions, had agreed that collaboration was required to deliver effective long-term change to the building and construction industry.
“Members agreed that significant immediate and future challenges across a range of areas, including industry culture, must be urgently addressed.
“This overarching Building and Construction Industry Blueprint will identify and prioritise the industry’s key challenges and include a staged workplan for the forum to develop appropriate actions.”
Minister Watt said this was the next step to delivering a construction industry that works for everyone.
“The building and construction industry is vital to Australia’s future – to deliver the physical infrastructure we need, and as a major employer.
“Construction delivers 1 in 10 jobs, and accounts for the highest share of employees employed in small businesses out of any sector in Australia.”
He said members agreed to a six-month timeline to develop the blueprint.
