Joint Release: The Coalition will move quickly to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission

The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Tony Abbott MHR, has today established a Working Group to ensure that if elected the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) is re-established quickly and effectively following the election.

Australians are sick and tired of governments that fail to effectively implement their promises.

The Working Group announced today will ensure that, if elected, a Coalition government can hit the ground running in restoring the ABCC and boosting Australia’s productivity growth.

The Working Group will have Mr Josh Frydenberg, Ms Nola Marina and Mrs Jane Prentice as members and will be chaired by Mr Paul Fletcher. It will be tasked with examining current governance and practical problems in the construction sector (such as malfeasance and misconduct), as well as developing a detailed plan, including drafting instructions, for the prompt re-establishment of the ABCC.

The Working Group will consult closely with the building and construction sector and it will report to the Leader of the Opposition by 30 August.

The work of the ABCC is as important today as when it was first established. Labor abolished the ABCC, leading to a return to the bad old days of lawlessness in the construction sector.

The establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission by the Howard Government provided a genuinely strong cop on the beat, largely ending the inefficiencies and union standover tactics that had plagued this industry. The ABCC was the key recommendation of the Cole Royal Commission into the building and construction industry, initiated by Tony Abbott as the responsible Minister.

The ABCC resulted in:

·         a productivity gain in the construction industry of 10 per cent;

·         an economic welfare gain of $6 billion dollars per year;

·         a reduction in consumer prices of 1.2 per cent;

·         gross domestic product 1.5 per cent higher; and

·         significant reduction in days lost through industrial action.

Re-establishing the ABCC is important to boosting Australia’s productivity and to ensuring law and order prevails at our nation’s building sites.

If the Coalition is elected, we will restore the ABCC within three months of Parliament first sitting.

The Coalition is committed to building a stronger Australia where law, order, transparency and honesty are effectively applied in every industry and sector of the economy.