Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer advise the House on the importance of an efficient construction sector to Australia's transitioning economy? How is the government supporting the construction sector, especially the small and medium-sized businesses struggling against the corruption and lawlessness on Australia's building sites?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Brisbane for his question on this incredibly important topic about productivity in the building and construction industry. The CFMEU's grip on the building and construction industry in this country is crushing productivity and increasing the cost to the Australian taxpayer of important building works and infrastructure works all around the country.

As the Prime Minister just reminded House, there are over 100 CFMEU officials before the courts, and one of those who are before the courts at the moment is Mr Mick Myles. Mr Mick Myles is in court on a matter the member for Brisbane would know about, because it relates to an issue and an occurrence in his own electorate. Mr Myles attended the RNA K1 Commercial Tower project on 21 January 2015 and met with the site management. During the meeting Mr Myles said the head contractor had engaged a tiling company that did not have an approved EBA. It turns out that the tiling company, as the contractor told the union official, had a current and valid enterprise agreement.

In the response that was brought back from Mr Myles, he made threatening remarks to the effect of 'What will it cost you if the job is shut down?' He also referred to an industrial action some two months before at the Queensland children's hospital site. Not even the Queensland children's hospital is immune from the productivity-crushing activities of the CFMEU. Mr Myles went down there in January of last year and spoke to the employees, and what do you know? They all left the site. When approached by the site manager, Mr Myles told him, 'They've left the site because of the tilers. We're not happy with the tilers.' So they shut the site down, and as a result of this industrial action a concrete pour that had been scheduled to take place that day had to be cancelled.

If you want to improve productivity in the building and construction industry, if you want to ensure the effectiveness of taxpayers' dollars in building important infrastructure, whether it be hospitals, schools, roads, bridges or ports—whatever it may be—you must free the building and construction industry of the vice-like grip of the CFMEU, aided and abetted by those opposite, who refuse to support the reintroduction of the ABCC. This is an important economic reform that will drive productivity, that will support wages growth and that will support increases in the profits of small businesses so they can grow and expand. The only thing those opposite want to grow and expand is the influence of the CFMEU. (Time expired)