NECA’s head of government relations and policy, Kent Johns, joined Senator David Pocock and CFMEU national secretary, Zach Smith at Parliament House in Canberra recently to again call on the government to make urgent reforms to security of payment.

In the wake of yet another major collapse within the construction industry, the group have renewed calls to implement the recommendations of the 2017 Murray Review, including the introduction of statutory trusts.

“In this financial year alone, ASIC data reports that we have already seen 1,330 construction companies enter liquidation. This is 46 more than the previous financial year and we still have four months to go,” Kent explains.

“We urgently need to help our subcontractors, this issue is affecting mental health, financial health, it’s impacting families and it’s sending small businesses to the wall. Without statutory trusts, this issue is only going to continue, with a devastating impact to our industry”.