Victorian government hands down eight recommendations for construction sector

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Victorian government has announced moves to crack down on misconduct in the construction industry. It's in the wake of allegations about bullying and intimidation within the CFMEU as well as infiltration by organised crime.

Transcript

00:00Well, the state government today has announced that they'll introduce a fit and proper person

00:06test for people working in the construction industry in labour hire jobs.

00:10So this would involve checking that people haven't been convicted of serious crimes and

00:14also checking whether they have links to organised crime and with the aim of weeding those people

00:20out of the industry.

00:22And now this is all in connection and follows on from those allegations that were levelled

00:26against the CFMEU, allegations of bullying and intimidation within the union.

00:31And also that the union had been infiltrated by organised crime and bikies.

00:35The Premier here in Victoria, Jacinta Allen, commissioned an independent report done by

00:40Greg Wilson that was handed to government three weeks ago and made public today.

00:44And that includes recommendations including for that fit and proper person test and other

00:49recommendations aimed at cleaning up the industry, particularly looking at big build sites around

00:55Victoria.

00:56We're looking at a major government building sites around Victoria worth multi-billions

01:02of dollars.

01:03We're talking the Metro Tunnel here in Melbourne due to open next year and the Westgate Tunnel

01:08as well.

01:09These changes are big.

01:10These changes need to happen and they go to the fact that we have zero tolerance, zero

01:15tolerance for this behaviour and we'll work incredibly hard to pull this rotten culture

01:20out by its roots as we continue to strengthen the work here in Victoria.

01:26The government has committed either in full or in principle to these eight recommendations

01:30and on top of the fit and proper person recommendation, Greg Wilson has also recommended compelling

01:39building companies to report any illegal or suspected illegal behaviour.

01:44There'll be a regulatory process set up around that and also an alliance between state and

01:49federal governments, which comes into where they've accepted some of these recommendations

01:54in principle.

01:55So we'll have to obviously work with other governments to get that across the line, Ros.

01:59And when will the changes be made, Nicole?

02:01Parliament has broken up for the year already, so it won't be sitting again until February

02:06next year, but the government has indicated that they're working towards that they will

02:10require legislative changes.

02:13We've just heard from the opposition leader, John Persuto, here, who's indicated that he

02:17sees the report a deeply unserious response to a very serious problem.

02:23He was speaking a few moments ago.

02:24Let's take a listen.

02:26This report is pathetic, it is a hopeless attempt to address a very serious problem

02:32affecting not only the delivery of major projects, but our economic performance as a state and

02:38our soaring debt levels.

02:40But it's precisely what Premier Jacinta Allen wanted.

02:43That's the regrettable fact about this.

02:45This whitewash of a report is exactly what the Premier ordered.

02:50A Premier who did not have what it takes, either herself or her government, to tackle

02:55this very serious problem of misbehaviour, coercion, intimidation and blackmail by the

03:01CFMEU on Victorian taxpayer funded worksites.

03:05Now the Premier has indicated that it will take some time to prepare legislation.

03:09She's expecting some time next year, indicated maybe towards the end of next year.

03:13Greg Wilson has also recommended that there is a review of how far these regulations have

03:18gone and the difference that they've made within two years.

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