CCCU to investigate compliance within Victorian building industry

The Victorian Coalition Government has given terms of reference to the Construction Code Compliance Unit (CCCU) to undertake a detailed investigation and report on the current state of compliance with the law and applicable codes of practice in the Victorian building and construction industry.

These terms of reference add to the work already being undertaken by the CCCU at the Premier’s request to provide an urgent report on matters relating to the Grocon blockades.

The terms of reference require the CCCU to provide an urgent interim report on matters including:

conduct at the recent blockades of Grocon construction sites, including conduct that may be unlawful and/or a breach of the Government’s construction industry guidelines;
the use of violence, intimidation or harassment within the industry;
the obligations of other employers whose workers took part in the Grocon blockades;
breaches of industrial and other laws that may have occurred during the Grocon blockades;
the effectiveness of current Commonwealth regulation of the building industry, including whether action could be taken by the Commonwealth in relation to the Grocon blockades
recommendations for immediate actions to strengthen compliance with the law and the guidelines.
The CCCU has also been directed to provide a further detailed report, covering:

practices that create a tolerance of unlawful conduct;
other conduct and practices in breach of the guidelines;
possible involvement of organised crime elements within the industry;
the current state of compliance with legal obligations within the industry in comparison with historic compliance levels;
the impact of recent changes to the Guidelines to the National Code and the abolition of the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (ABCC); and
recommendations for future actions to enhance compliance with the law and the guidelines.
The Victorian Government’s guidelines, which came into operation on 1 July 2012, require all building companies that tender for Victorian Government work to commit to comply with all applicable legal obligations and to act to ensure that inappropriate or unlawful practices do not occur on their projects.

Minister for Finance Robert Clark said that productive and law-abiding building and construction sites are vital for jobs and investment in Victoria.

“If Victoria does not have an efficient and law-abiding building industry our State will simply not be able to afford to build the infrastructure we need.

“Recent events have demonstrated that certain elements of the industry appear to consider themselves above the law. The Coalition Government is determined to ensure that all participants in the building industry abide by the rule of law and the same standards of behaviour that apply to everyone else.

“Unlawful blockades, intimidation and harassment should have no place in any Victorian workplace,” Mr Clark said.

The CCCU is to provide its interim report by 15 October this year, and its final report by 31 March next year.