The Albanese Government should revisit the Fair Work Act's prohibition on multi-employer bargaining in the construction industry, because it is a major hurdle to tackling corruption and misconduct in the sector, the CFMEU's administrator said today, advocating for industry-wide rather than solely union-focused reform.
The AWU and CFMEU have made "significant progress" in their long-standing demarcation disputes with the assistance of a former FWC member, while the FWC has protocols in place to prevent Commissioner Jennifer Hunt and Vice President Ingrid Asbury from attending the tribunal's Brisbane office at the same time, tribunal officers told a Senate Estimates hearing yesterday.
Deregulate the establishment and administration of registered unions and "let the red unions rip through the industrial relations system" to restore Australia's productivity and wealth, Red Unions Support Hub managing director Jack McGuire told the recent HR Nicholls Society national conference.
Victoria's Parliament has passed legislation to establish a special prosecutor to assist the Kourakis Royal Commission into misconduct in the construction industry and expand IBAC's powers, but a Bill targeting unregistered unions has stalled in the upper house with no sitting days remaining before the election.
FWC general manager Murray Furlong has started an investigation into whether John Setka, the former Victorian branch secretary of the under-administration CFMEU construction and general division, has flouted stringent "anti-avoidance" provisions that might lead to imprisonment by making threats against those now running the union.
The Victorian lower house has passed legislation targeting unregistered unions, after RAFFWU, the Greens and the Liberal Party accused Labor of factional favours and of undermining freedom of association, while the State's workplace protection legislation has passed Parliament.
Shadow IR minister Jane Hume has introduced a Bill that would enable the CFMEU's administrator to indefinitely expel members or disqualify union officers, and ensure they could not work for other unions.
RAFFWU is accusing new Victorian Premier Ben Carroll of rewarding his "political masters" at the SDA after his Government introduced legislation that will shut down the unregistered union.
As a new team prepares to take over the helm of the NTEU, the FWC has approved a rule change that will enable more members to vote in future elections, in a decision delayed by an administrative error and the union's request to postpone it to avoid irregularities.
Union renewal expert Michael Crosby will start today as the CFMEU construction and general division's new administrator, FWC general manager Murray Furlong announced this morning.
