CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

Hanson to back building watchdog

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Oct-16

One Nation’s caucus will decide whether to support legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission on 7 November 2016. Party leader Pauline Hanson has given indications that One Nation is likely to back the legislation, which has already been passed by the lower house. Hanson says many business owners have expressed concern about the bullying tactics used by unions. Hanson also supports allowing the Adler shotgun to be legally imported.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ABCC bill passes House of Reps

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Original article by
Skynew.com.au – Page: Online : 19-Oct-16

The Federal Government’s bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission was passed by the House of Representatives on 18 October 2016. The Government is negotiating with crossbenchers to pass the bill in the Senate. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the ABCC bill and the registered organisations bill are aimed at boosting the economy rather than targeting unions. However, Coalition backbench MP Andrew Laming has questioned whether unions are still necessary.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS

ABCC bill could shut out companies

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Oct-16

The Federal Government will not back down on its plan to make a national building code retrospective as part of its legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The code will apply to all enterprise agreements that have been made since 2014, and compliance with the code will be a condition of being granted federal construction contracts. However, some pattern bargaining agreements struck by the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Electrical Trades Union in Victoria and Queensland would not comply with the proposed code.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Senate rides shotgun on IR bills

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 18-Oct-16

The Australian Government is hopeful that all but one senate crossbencher, Jacqui Lambie, will be open to supporting its bills to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission and establish a Registered Organisations Commission. However, some crossbenchers have a list of policies they want implemented in return for their support. Amongst other things, Nick Xenophon will press for imported building materials to be subject to local building standards and increased protection for whistleblowers, while David Leyonhjelm wants importation of the seven-shot Adler shotgun to be legalised.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, HOME AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

One Nation: freedom not union rule

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Oct-16

One Nation has indicated that it is likely to support the Federal Government’s bills to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission and establish a Registered Organisations Commission. One Nation has voted in favour of a bill to protect the rights of emergency services volunteers. Industrial relations spokesman Senator Malcolm Roberts says the party believes that volunteers should not be subject to union control, and it is likely to adopt the same principle when voting on the Government’s key industrial relations reforms.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Hanson offers hope for ABCC bill

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 30-Aug-16

Incoming senator Pauline Hanson will consult with both sides of politics before deciding her stance on the Australian Building & Construction Commission. However, Hanson has indicated that she opposes "union thuggery" and says small contractors and subcontractors must be protected from such union practices. Hanson is yet to decide her position on proposed company tax cuts, but warns of the risk that companies may relocate to countries with lower tax rates unless the tax burden is reduced.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Bring back watchdog: Boral

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 21 : 25-Aug-16

Listed building materials group Boral has posted a 2015-16 net profit of $A256m, which is in line with its previous result. Its after-tax profit rose by nine per cent to $A268m when significant items totalling $A12m are excluded. Meanwhile, CEO Mike Kane has called for bipartisan support for legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. He has also rejected calls for the creation of an anti-corruption agency that has broader scope than the construction industry.

CORPORATES
BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CSR LIMITED – ASX CSR

Major builder faces ban

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 12-Aug-16

The Federal Circuit Court has imposed $A25,575 in penalties on Hutchinson Builders. The court found that the company did not want to award a contract to a business whose enterprise agreement lacked approval from the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. The case is now being considered by Fair Work Building & Construction, and Hutchinson Builders may be subject to other sanctions.

CORPORATES
FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, HUTCHINSON BUILDERS, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Unhappy crossbenchers threaten IR laws

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 8-Aug-16

Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm has accused the Coalition of reneging on a deal to include a sunset clause in legislation to extend a ban on the importation of the Adler A110 shotgun. He says that the Coalition may now not be able to count on his support for a bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. Senator Leyonhjelm also intends to introduce legislation to scrap section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, a reform which the Coalition had backed down on.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Hanson’s power bloc holds key in ABCC union battle

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Aug-16

The support of One Nation in the Senate may be crucial to the Coalition’s chances of passing legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The Coalition will have 30 seats in the new Senate, while the Australian Labor Party and the Greens will have 26 and nine respectively. The Coalition will need 39 votes to pass the ABCC bill in the upper house, or 114 in a joint sitting of Parliament. One Nation senator-elect Brian Burston has indicated that he is likely to support the ABCC bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT