Australia’s controversial building industry watchdog is earmarked for the chopping block. But federal industrial relations minister Tony Burke has started by pulling a few of its teeth.
He’s used his ministerial powers to gut the code of conduct empowering the Australian Building and Construction Commission to wage war against everything from compulsory union agreements to workers displaying union logos.
The code of conduct applies only to contractors seeking or working on federally funded building projects – but they must comply with it on all their projects. So it has been a big stick for the ABCC.
