The government will struggle in the Senate to abolish the ABCC, but is prepared to defund the watchdog should the legislation fail.
The Albanese government faces a struggle in the Senate to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission, but is prepared to defund the watchdog should the legislation fail.
Labor pre-election costings contained plans to savage the ABCC’s operating budget this coming financial year, identifying $28 million in savings from the watchdog’s $35 million budget.The savings increase to $36.6 million in the 2025-26 financial year, equivalent to the commission’s entire budget. This is because the Coalition cannot muster the numbers to block the regulations which have already been enacted to gut the watchdog and effectively scrap the building code it administers.
Regulations can be disallowed by a majority vote in either House but Labor controls the lower house and, in the Senate, the Opposition and crossbench Senators can only muster 38 votes. “The ABCC Commissioner’s functions of investigating suspected contraventions by building industry participants of the BCIIP [Building and Construction Industry Improving productivity] Act and the Fair Work Act, and instituting proceedings for alleged contraventions, remain unchanged,” an ABCC spokeswoman said.“This includes unlawful industrial action, right of entry contraventions, and general protections.
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