[Greens-Media] Greens introduce Bill to abolish ABCC

[Norton, Tim (Sen R. Siewert)]

Greens introduce Bill to abolish ABCC
Thursday 28th August 2008

The Australian Greens today introduced a Bill in the Senate that will
repeal the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005
(BCII) and abolish the Australian Building & Construction Commission
(ABCC).

"The ABCC represents the Howard Government's Work Choices agenda at its
most extreme, and yet the Rudd Government has dragged its heels in
addressing these injustices," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

"Well the Greens are not prepared to sit back while this travesty of
justice continues."

"If the Rudd Labor Party won't deliver on the election hopes of working
Australians for a return to balance in workplace relations then the
Greens will step in and show them how its done," said Senator Siewert. 

"Its time to act to restore workers rights in the workplace."

"If Kevin Rudd was truly committed to bringing fairness back to
Australian workplaces then he has no excuse for keeping the ABCC one
minute longer - let alone preserving it until 2010."

"It is an affront to our democracy to have workplace relations laws that
take away the right to silence, deny people their choice of lawyer,
provide powers to compel evidence with the possibility of gaol for
non-compliance, and impose severe restrictions on the rights of workers
to organise and bargain collectively."

"I expect ALP Senators and Members to carefully consider this bill and
realise that this is the right thing to do. It is unfair to put building
workers through another couple of years of the oppressive 'Star Chamber'
tactics of the ABCC," she said.

"I hope they feel extremely uncomfortable being faced with a bill that
actually delivers on their un-kept promises for a fair industrial
relations system in this country."

"The ABCC should be abolished and the building industry regulated just
like any other industry -- in a fair and just manner that balances the
needs of productivity and the economy with the health, safety and
democratic rights of workers," she concluded.
 
For more information or media enquiries please call Chris Twomey on 0407
725 025
senator.siewert at aph.gov.au  |  www.rachelsiewert.org.au  |
www.greensmps.org.au