Michaelia Cash blasts Tony Burke over Labor’s decision to strip back the construction watchdog’s powers

Shadow workplace relations minister Michaelia Cash has torn into Labor over its decision to wind back the powers of Australia’s construction watchdog. 

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke announced changes to the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) on Sunday as part of the Albanese government’s overhaul of the Building Code.

Mr Burke said the ABCC’s powers will be reduced to the “bare legal minimum” in preparation for the watchdog being abolished altogether as part of Labor’s Federal Election commitment. 

“Some of its powers will go back to the Fair Work Ombudsman and to appropriate health and safety regulators. Its most ridiculous powers will be scrapped altogether,” a statement from Mr Burke said. 

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“The Government went to the election with a promise to abolish the ABCC and we intend to introduce legislation to achieve that by the end of 2022. Today’s announcement is a down payment on that commitment.” 

An interim Building Code will take effect from Tuesday.

Ms Cash blasted the government’s handling of the issue, arguing it was rushed and lacked collaboration.

“Well I can tell you Kieran talking to stakeholder after stakeholder over the last 48 hours, the building and construction industry across Australia are in complete chaos with Labor’s announcement on Sunday,” she told Sky News Australia’s Kieran Gilbert on Monday. 

“Yes, Labor had said they’d abolish the building watchdog but the construction industry thought that there’d be consultation and there’d be a transition.

“To literally be given next to no notice that your industry is being handed back to the most militant union in Australia says that this government has… no respect for the building and construction industry in Australia.”

Sky News Australia can also reveal that the ABCC was not even made aware that Labor was poised to make the changes until Mr Burke appeared on the ABC’s Insider’s program on Sunday.

Tonight, Ms Cash will speak to Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi about how much chaos that decision caused within the industry and to relevant stakeholders.

The ABCC was created by the Howard government in a bid to stop disorder within the construction industry.

But Mr Burke claimed it was established “to discredit and dismantle unions and undermine the pay, conditions and job security of ordinary Australian workers”.

“The ABCC’s record proves it has been more concerned with pursuing and punishing workers than tackling rampant wage theft and compromised safety standards,” his statement said. 

“Workers and their representatives shouldn’t be harassed by a body that wastes taxpayers’ money on trivial nonsense like what stickers a worker might have on their helmet or whether a union logo might appear in a safety sign.”

Ms Cash accused Mr Burke of “blatantly misleading the Australian public by saying that”.

“There is no provision in the building code for the ABCC to bring an action against a worker or a union for the displaying of logos etc,” she said. 

“They are, however, able to bring an action against a contractor that is actually subject to the code.”

Ms Cash said Mr Burke’s plans have “so many flaws”, adding the FWO did not have the capacity to take on the cases currently before the ABCC.  

“The FWO themselves cannot undertake the cases that are on foot, and there are some incredibly serious cases and in particular in relation to vile, vile behaviour against women on construction sites,” she said. 

“You would actually need to amend the act to allow the FWO to do this. So when is Labor going to do this because they’ve given no indication at all, so there are so many flaws in what Tony Burke is putting forward to the Australian public.

“But the saddest thing is, at this time the economy can ill afford the abolition of the strong building watchdog.”