A major building industry lobby group has thrown down the challenge to Anthony Albanese, calling on the Labor leader to adopt policies which will boost the economy and to abandon a promise to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

As the May election draws near, Master Builders Australia has launched a paid advertising campaign which will target marginal seats in states and territories across the country.

Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn says the campaign will challenge both parties to adopt policies which will aid the economic recovery.

“The campaign tells the Coalition and Labor that this election must be about economic recovery and how best to manage that,” Wawn said

“Whoever wins this election is going to have charge of the economic recovery. That’s the stark reality we cannot lose sight of.”

“We know from our polling of 40 marginal seats across the country that builders and tradies want a plan for economic recovery and are strongly opposed to policies that will put economic recovery at risk.

“We need an economic plan that will help the more than 400,000 small builders and tradies that are right now suffering a severe cost and cashflow crunch

“For them it is not about wage increases because they don’t get a wage. The money they are able to draw from their business depends entirely on how well their business is going. That’s why they want a plan for economic recovery above all.”

Master Builders has also hit out at Labor plans to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

As part of its ‘Secure Australian Jobs Plan’, Labor has promised to abolish the Commission, which regulates workplace relations practices for the building industry.

Labor has also promised to abolish the Registered Organisations Commission, which was set up by the Coalition Government following the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption to regulate the governance and accountability of unions and employer organisations.

Part of the Coalition plan to restore law and order to the building sector after the Royal Commission found evidence of rampant illegal activity by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CMFEU), the Commission was re-established by the Coalition in 2016 having previously been abolished by Labor in 2012.

Since its reestablishment, the ABCC has completed more than 100 court cases (90 of which resulted in successful prosecutions), achieved imposition penalties totalling more than $15 million, assessed more than 10,000 enterprise agreements for compliance with the Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work 2016 and recovered more than $4.98 million workers in unpaid wages for 8,200 workers (refer article.).

Opinions about the ABCB are divided.

On one hand, it is credited by industry lobby groups as helping to restore law and order to the building and construction sector amid rampant unlawful behaviour from building unions.

Unions, however, see it as a political attack dog and accuse the organisation of unfairly targeting unions and workers.

The move to abolish the ABCC has been slammed by Master Builders, who says its polling reveals that tradespeople and other potential swing voters in marginal seats ‘see militant construction unions and rogue officials as a threat to economic recovery.’

Abolishing the construction watchdog, Master Builders said, would see Labor ‘committing economic self-harm.’

“We know from our polling of tradies and soft voters in marginal seats that they see militant construction unions and rogue officials as a threat to economic recovery which is why they want Labor to keep the construction industry watchdog,” Wawn said.

“A Labor Government abolishing the construction watchdog would be committing economic self-harm.

“Labor’s policy will leave more than 400,000 small mum and dad builders and tradies exposed to union thugs and bullies.

“These are the businesses that are driving economic recovery, scrapping the ABCC will the economic recovery at risk.”

But CFMEU National Construction Secretary Dave Noonan hit back, accusing the MBA of representing large developers at the expense of workers and subcontractors.

He says the MBA has campaigned for years against subcontractor protection through stronger security of payment legislation.

“The MBA’s love for the ABCC, a failed regulator that ignores rampant wage theft and which has not prosecuted a single case of sham contracting in an industry where it is rife, comes as no surprise,” Noonan said.

“The Master Builders only represents the interests of the big developers and international building corporations who hold subcontractors to ransom and try to undercut wages in the industry.”

“The MBA is silent when big developers like Probuild and Condev collapse owing subcontractors and workers millions of dollars.”

“As an organisation they have campaigned for years against reform to security of payment laws that would force builders to hold the money they owe to subcontractors and workers in trust to ensure they can make their payments. While the MBA sits on its hands, the subcontractors who do the bulk of the work and employ the majority of workers in construction are forced to underwrite the profits of big developers who refuse to pay on time or at all.”

“It is no surprise the Master Builders would support a failed regulator that makes it easier for the developers from the big end of town to maximise their profits by ripping off the workers who build our cities and critical infrastructure.”