Thursday, 1 August 2024

Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union

Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (10:53): Unlawful conduct, abuse, intimidation and thuggery by the CFMEU on Labor government infrastructure projects have been exposed. After 10 years of the Andrews–Allan Labor government, a gangster culture of bullying, standover tactics and corruption on state government construction sites has been allowed to flourish. Premier Jacinta Allan was the minister responsible for the Big Build infrastructure projects dominated by the CFMEU and has known about the CFMEU’s thuggery and criminal links since the 2015 Victoria Police submission to the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, which she commented on in 2016. The royal commission resulted in the Australian Building and Construction Commission being established, but after it was successful in more than 200 prosecutions, imposing over $15 million in penalties on the CFMEU, the Albanese Labor government abolished the ABCC shortly after it was elected.

Allegations of kickbacks, misuse of public money and criminal associations have been rife, with only CFMEU-approved suppliers winning contracts for Labor’s Big Build, despite their bid prices being double that of their competitors. North East Link, Melbourne Metro and West Gate Tunnel projects have been disrupted, delayed and held to ransom by the CFMEU drastically forcing up the cost of these projects, with Labor’s major construction projects now $40 billion over budget. Victorian builders and workers have been bullied and stood over by CFMEU bosses for too long. Victorian businesses have been shattered and the mental wellbeing of many young workers damaged. The Victorian Liberals will establish a new watchdog to enforce fair standards of conduct under a new code of practice for Victoria’s building industry.