Queensland’s deputy premier has dismissed warnings from unions that a proposed new construction code could sink Olympic builds, maintaining new checks and balances would deliver projects “faster and on budget”.
On Wednesday, the Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King said a code proposed by the CFMEU inquiry could clash with federal laws on sites with joint funding, and accused Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie of “effectively declaring war” on unions with recent actions.
Responding on Thursday to King’s claims he was “itching to have a fight” with the union movement, Bleijie said revelations of the CFMEU’s threats and bullying proved the construction industry needed fixing.
“We’re just getting on with the job, we’re going to fix the construction industry, [and] we’re going to return productivity to construction sites,” he said.
“As I’ve said on multiple occasions, we will not tolerate … the bullying, the intimidation, the fear, the misogyny, the sexism, the physical, the verbal assaults by the CFMEU on the construction industry any more.
“We’ve seen the corruption in Victoria … we will not let that happen in Queensland, and that’s why we’re not going to take the foot off the pedal – we have to change the industry for the better.”
The QCU press conference was called on Wednesday after reporting from News Corp that suggested Bleijie would ban firms with CFMEU agreements from tendering for Olympic venue work.
The draft CFMEU inquiry proposal seen by this masthead added hurdles and checks into the application process for government projects, which the QCU said would effectively ban firms with CFMEU deals.
It had yet to formally be presented as a recommendation to the government, and Bleijie’s office has since attempted to walk back talk of an outright “ban”.
The code could lead to clashes with federal workplace laws – and therefore delays – on jointly funded Olympics builds, King warned.
She said she had written to federal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth.
King also criticised changes to workplace laws announced in late April, and recent overhauls of the Work Health and Safety and WorkCover boards to purge all union figures.
Speaking to media on Thursday, Bleijie denied reviews of workplace laws would be used to walk back workers’ rights.
“Some will claim that a review of the Industrial Relations Act is trying to do something that it’s not, but the industrial relations legislation, workplace health and safety legislation, and WorkCover legislation have been reviewed for years on end,” he said.
The CFMEU inquiry was expected to consult about the draft code by July 24, Bleijie said.
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