6 minute read
Industrial Relations Report
A MESSAGE FROM INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DIRECTOR, CAMERON SPENCE
The future of the rule of law in the construction industry; looking back and forward
A week is a long time in politics. It seems we can’t go a week without the news that yet another MP has fallen under the citizenship knife.
Instability in an elected government is never a good thing, and one hopes that this problem is sorted out as quickly as possible. This instability has raised some important Industrial Relations questions, not least around the future of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). Bill Shorten is on record as vowing to do away with the ABCC should he be elected Prime Minister. And a few more foreign passports could see us head to an early election, so in light of that, it is worth asking; “what exactly will Bill Shorten be dismantling?”
Unless you’ve been living on Mars, you will recall that Australia went to a double dissolution election in 2016, sparked by the Turnbull government’s determination to reinstate the ABCC to help enforce the rule of law in the industry. After a cliff-hanger result and a bruising passage through the Senate, the ABCC was re-instated, and a new 2016 Code came into effect. Almost a year has passed since these events took centre stage. The ABCC has recently released its 2016/2017 annual report, so this is an ideal time to look at the ABCC’s achievements, and to revisit the question of the rule of law in the building and construction industry and to look to the future. The notable parts of the ABCC report can be briefly summarised as follows: More than $2.14 million in penalties awarded in matters brought by the ABCC – the third time in the history of the agency and its predecessors that penalties exceeded $2 million.
Significant penalties handed down for unlawful industrial action ($1.15 million) and coercion ($710,000). 28 proceedings finalised before the courts. 1 Building Code sanction. 142 new investigations commenced into suspected breaches of Commonwealth workplace laws. 871 enterprise agreements assessed for compliance with Building Code 2016. More than 10,000 industry participants reached through ABCC education activities – with 5,552 attendees at presentations delivered by agency staff and 5,882 enquiries responded to over the year.
So much of the heat and smoke that initially surrounded this argument has just evaporated. No one has gone to jail, no one is being bullied or threatened. Instead, what we are seeing is a dedicated government agency going about the business of making sure that the rule of law is upheld in the building and construction industry without distinction as to who they need to deal with.
In a nutshell the ABCC is bringing our industry into line with mining, education, aviation, agriculture, and every other major industry in this country in which the majority of stakeholders abide by the law the majority of the time. This is a good thing. We can only hope that common sense prevails and future governments of all political persuasions understand the importance of a building and construction industry where the rule of law is respected. It’s in everyone’s interests. Why would anyone want to change that?
A MESSAGE FROM CHIEF MINISTER, ANDREW BARR
Creating world-class urban renewal
Canberra will be a city of more than 425,000 people by the end of this decade and a city of that size – and Australia’s national capital – deserves a world-class CBD.
Renewing our city centre to become a great place for people to live, work and visit is a major government priority and it is integral to the success of Canberra over the coming decades. It’s how we attract and retain the smart people who are the future of our economy – and it’s how we make the CBD somewhere that today’s Canberrans and visitors alike want to be.
That’s why we have created the City Renewal Authority, which is taking the same precinct-based approach that has been so successful in projects like Southbank in Brisbane and Elizabeth Quay in Perth.
My objective of the transformation of central Canberra – from Dickson through to Lake Burley Griffin at West Basin – is to foster greater social, community and economic activity.
By 2020, the Authority’s influence on our inner city will be shown through improved public areas, world-class designs and a greater interaction between people and buildings.
The Authority’s task is to deliver “design-led urban renewal”, and the importance of design as we shape our city centre is at the heart of everything we will do. I want Canberra to be a shining example of contemporary urban renewal. I don’t want Canberra to be a city of bland boxes.
Canberra, particularly our main avenues, should contain buildings that people are talking about well after we’re gone.
I want to see buildings that win awards.
I know our city can do world-class work so I strongly encourage architects and builders to aim high. Be bold, be creative and win awards.
The Authority will guide this work, while also focusing on social and environmental sustainability.
Over the next 12 months, renewing the city bus interchange, improving the historic Sydney and Melbourne buildings and increasing the liveability of the city precinct are some of the major goals.
We’re also building stage one of the West Basin project by opening a new park early in the new year, we’re refreshing courtyards in Dickson, and we’re enlivening key areas, including a micro park at Garema Place.
The private sector has responded to our strategy, with major hotels and residential developments underway and being planned.
The city centre we build now will be at the heart of a larger and more connected Canberra. Our CBD must be a place where people want to be.
Ozhelp news
OzHelp launches the Wellbeing at Work program
Ozhelp unveiled their new program Wellbeing at Work during the National Safe Work Month. Wellbeing at Work (W@W) is a short 15-minute training program delivered at work, designed to assist people to understand how they can improve their mental health and wellbeing. It aims to raise awareness of five key factors which affect wellbeing, as identified by the World Health Organisation; Sleep, Exercise, Mood, Connection and Nutrition. It also encourages participants to identify two areas that require immediate action and accordingly decide changes they can make to address the same. The rounder your Wellbeing wheel the better you are equipped to roll through the day. This program is designed to be delivered on-site and is also available free of cost for the construction industry in the ACT.
OzHelp gratefully acknowledges the funding provided by the ACT Government for our services to the building and construction industry.
