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

As I say, it is our third-largest industry, employing more than one million people. There are 300,000 small business involved in this industry. These are the people who are quite literally building Australia. When there is a problem in that industry, it flows directly through the rest of our economy. Currently, two-thirds of working days lost due to industrial action are in the construction industry. The rate of industrial action in the construction sector is now, in the June quarter, nine times higher than across all other industries. Since 2012, the rate of disputes in construction has increased by 40 per cent while across all industries the rate of disputes has declined by 33 per cent. Again, when there is a problem in such a vital industry, as policy makers we need to do something about it.