AS A REGISTERED builder and former Shadow Minister for Housing and Public Works, I am utterly outraged by just how much influence militant unions have over this Labor Government.
Unbelievably, Labor has appointed a CFMEU heavyweight to a plum taxpayer paid position within the statutory body of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC).
We now have many union officials and Labor mates on the QBCC Board making decisions on how the building industry in this state will be run.
The most recent appointment of a CFMEU official leaves many questions about who is actually running this Government considering this particular union heavyweight has been convicted of deliberately breaking the same building rules that he is now empowered to govern and enact.
It only took four days after the appointment for the same union official to be forced to appear before the Federal Court for alleged unlawful activity and organising unlawful work stoppages, but this is nothing new for this bloke who has an extensive record when it relates to construction unlawfulness and civil disobedience.
If millions of dollars in fines and a string of unlawful industrial action seems to have no consequence, what can Queensland’s construction sector expect from this new QBCC Board?
What we know is that work on every Queensland Government project is being hindered by these bullying tactics of the CFMEU.
Another well-known fact in the building industry is that because of all the CFMEU disruption and intimidation, it now costs 30% more to build in Queensland.
Consider the new sports stadiums, schools and police stations and we start to see the real impact of a Labor Government totally beholden to their union masters.
Stephen Bennett MP
Member for Burnett
Thursday, 2 August 2018