The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) was created by the Howard Government in 2005 to enforce its laws and ‘criminalize’ union activity on construction sites.
While it is supposed to uphold industrial law, the ABCC doesn’t investigate or prosecute employers underpaying workers or breaching safety regulations. Rather, it targets workers and their unions.
Even if a worker is killed on site, his colleagues must be able to prove they had a reasonable concern about an imminent risk to themselves to legally stop work and assess the safety situation.
Passersby can also be interrogated by the ABCC for witnessing activities on a building site.
The ABCC has the power to seek fines against individual workers of up to $22,000 and gag interviewees. Anyone who refuses to cooperate fully faces a potential 6 month jail term.
