E31 Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction

Firms guilty of negligence over fatal fall at Southbank site

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Age – Page: 4 : 10-Nov-14

A County Court of Victoria jury has found Keller Australia subsidiaries Frankipile and Vibropile guilty of failing to provide safe systems of work and adequate information, instruction, training or supervision. The two ground engineering companies will be sentenced by judge Peter Wischuse later in November 2014, over the death of Sonny Swaanebeck in May 2011. The 30-year-old had fallen 40 metres when a pile-driving rig at a Southbank construction site collapsed

CORPORATES
KELLER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FRANKIPILE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VIBRO-PILE (AUST) PTY LTD, COUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA, VICTORIAN WORKCOVER AUTHORITY

Lend Lease still busy

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 34 : 26-Sep-14

Lend Lease gained $A4.94bn worth of construction contracts in 2013. This ranks it first on the Housing Industry Association/Cordell Construction list of the nation’s 100 largest contractors. Thiess and Brookfield Multiplex rounded out the top three, with $A2.88bn and $A2.51bn worth of contracts respectively. Multi-dwelling residential projects accounted for 20.7 per cent of contracts awarded to top 100 companies in 2013

CORPORATES
LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, CORDELL BUILDING INFORMATION SERVICES, THIESS PTY LTD, LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, BGC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, LEIGHTON CONTRACTORS PTY LTD, ABIGROUP LIMITED, BAULDERSTONE PTY LTD, MERITON APARTMENTS PTY LTD, PARKVIEW GROUP, ICON CONSTRUCTION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Leighton emails: ‘disgusting history of incompetence’

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Original article by Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 15-Sep-14

Bribery allegations against former Leighton Holdings employees have been backed by leaked emails. The emails reveal that senior employees planned to make payments to gain work in Iraq. The payments would be disguised by inflating and backdating contracts. The Australian Federal Police will hand a brief on bribery in Iraq to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions by early 2015

CORPORATES
LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, LEIGHTON OFFSHORE PTE LTD, UNAOIL GROUP, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON GROUP

Dredge waste to go onshore

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 9-Sep-14

The Queensland Government has signed an agreement with Indian companies Adani and GVK for the use of an onshore site for dredge waste. The land was formerly owned by BHP Billiton. The construction of the Abbot Point coal terminal is expected to involve the disposal of three million cubic metres of dredge waste at the site. Initially, the companies planned to dump the waste in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef area

CORPORATES
ADANI ENTERPRISES LIMITED, GVK INDUSTRIES LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, NORTH QUEENSLAND BULK PORTS CORPORATION LIMITED, QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK AUTHORITY

Concerns over reef contractor’s humanitarian, environment record

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Original article by Jason Koutsoukis, Daniel Flitton
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 6 : 5-Sep-14

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been accused of using questionable labour practices in his native country. His Adani Group is involved in the development of coal mines in Queensland and the expansion of the Abbot Point coal shipping terminal. His companies allegedly used underage workers, provided workers with contaminated drinking water and used practices that damaged the environment in development projects in the province of Gujarat

CORPORATES
ADANI ENTERPRISES LIMITED, ADANI ABBOT POINT TERMINAL PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Big projects could be hiding phoenix scams

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Original article by Aaron Patrick, Nick McKenzie
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 25-Aug-14

Construction is one of the sectors said to be plagued by contractors deliberately letting businesses fail only to resurrect them in a "phoenix" move, designed to avoid taxation and employee entitlement liabilities. The Australian Taxation Office, Australian Securities & Investments Commission and Fair Work Building & Construction have announced they will look into the issue at eight of the nation’s major infrastructure developments. The Australian Federal Police will then hand an evidence brief to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FAIR WORK BUILDING INDUSTRY INSPECTORATE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Strike threat to Qld $70b LNG debut

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 4-Aug-14

Three separate LNG exporting plant projects worth a combined $A70bn are being pursued in the Gladstone region of Queensland by consortia led respectively by Santos, Origin Energy and BG Group. The latter has made the most progress, but is now also likely to be the most affected by potential strikes as the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has applied for protected industrial action. Workers may down tools from 7 August 2014 over talks on a new enterprise bargaining agreement. They seek a "four weeks on, one week off" roster instead of the current "three weeks on, one week off’

CORPORATES
BG GROUP PLC, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, QUEENSLAND CURTIS LNG PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG LIMITED, GLADSTONE LNG PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BECHTEL PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Fresh faces on board in Leighton overhaul

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Original article by Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 21 : 11-Jul-14

Construction group Leighton Holdings has appointed Kirstin Ferguson to its board. The company is making major changes to its board and management, following the takeover by Germany’s Hochtief. Russell Chenu and Trevor Gerber have also been recently appointed as independent directors. Changes will be made to board committees and advisory boards to improve corporate governance

CORPORATES
LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, HOCHTIEF AG, GRUPO ACS, ACTIVIDADES DE CONSTRUCCION Y SERVICIOS SA, SUNWATER PTY LTD, DART ENERGY LIMITED – ASX DTE, THIESS PTY LTD, JOHN HOLLAND PTY LTD, LEIGHTON CONTRACTORS PTY LTD, LEIGHTON PROPERTIES PTY LTD, LEIGHTON ASIA LIMITED

‘Blackmail’ worked, says Boral

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 10-Jul-14

Concrete supplier Boral has accused the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union of blackmail. On 9 July 2014, Boral CEO Mike Kane told the Royal Commission Into Trade Union Governance & Corruption that the union threatened contractors and created a cartel on Melbourne building sites. He said that the criminal conspiracy was effective, with Boral’s profits falling by nearly $A6 million since the boycott was launched. Kane said that he expects the inquiry to refer his allegations to Victoria Police

CORPORATES
BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, VICTORIA POLICE, GROCON PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

Union rushes to enlist

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 4-Jul-14

Construction groups such as Lend Lease and Leighton Holdings off-shoot John Holland are warning subcontractors that they will have to comply with a new building and construction industry code. However the relevant legislation has not yet been passed by the senate, with the Federal Government needing the votes of the Palmer United Party and independents. The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union is busy signing up subcontractors to an enterprise agreement. It hopes that if sufficient numbers can be reached, it will be easier to convince senators to vote against the reinstatement of the Australian Building & Construction Commission, which would enforce the code

CORPORATES
LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, JOHN HOLLAND PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES PTY LTD, PALMER UNITED PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS