Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Again, this is a sector that contributes to eight per cent of our GDP, employing more than one million Australians. It is our third-largest employer in Australia. When you have a problem with your third-largest employer in Australia, it is a problem that flows through to the rest of our economy, ultimately impacting on all Australians. It is estimated that the cost of public infrastructure in Australia is 30 per cent higher—in particular due to the high level of industrial disputes in the construction industry.

In recent years, the CFMEU have been found guilty of breaching industrial law on projects across Australia. These projects include office buildings, apartment buildings, shopping centres, hospitals, universities, schools, roads, stadiums, hotels, medical research facilities and aged care facilities. The list just goes on and on. No project is spared from this type of industrial action.