Yesterday the Senate passed the Construction Industry Amendment (Protecting Witnesses) Bill 2015. This legislation extends the coercive powers of the Fair Work Building and Construction (FWBC) for a further two years, which enables the organisation to seek evidence from persons who must be protected from intimidation and retribution.

Mr. Suresh Manickam, NECA CEO, has congratulated the eight senate cross-bench members and the coalition government senators for passing the legislation. Mr. Manickam said “This decision can hopefully be viewed as a first step in the re-establishment of the ABCC and the draft Building and Construction Code.”

Mr. Manickam further added that the building and construction industry need strong regulatory laws and has called on the Federal Government and the Senate cross-benchers to press on and pass the law required to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission. There is no use procrastinating any further, immediate action by the Senate is now critical.

Over the past year NECA has invested a significant amount of time and effort in lobbying Federal parliamentarians with the sole purpose of having this legislation passed by the parliament and it is great to see that the effort is finally paying off.

This is a constructive development in relation to the FWBC’s powers, however we still urge the Senate to restore the ABCC and the powers as mooted by the Government sometime ago. Until the later occurs, NECA fears that unlawful action will continue which affects business confidence.