The Federal Court has upheld a decision on banning union flags and stickers and the Eureka flag from construction worksites.
The prosecution was initiated by the Australian Building and Construction Commission; a federal government body.
The Morrison Government is again using the ABCC as a political tool ahead of the election – a tool that is paid for by working Australians’ hard earned money.
This is another decision in a series of prosecutions initiated by the ABCC that exposes the true and ludicrous nature of this government body – to demonise construction workers and the unions that represent them.
The Morrison Government has also failed to implement all recommendations from the Senate Inquiry into industrial deaths and the Boland Review of Model WHS Laws.
These recommendations would include criminalising industrial manslaughter in all Australian jurisdictions. According to Safe Work Australia’s most recent report on workplace deaths, 36 workers from the construction industry died in 2020.
Quotes attributable to ACTU President Michele O’Neil:
“It’s reprehensible that the Morrison Government, disguised as the ABCC, is spending taxpayers’ money on repeatedly attacking construction unions who represent and advocate for their members.
“The ABCC is funded by taxpayers and instead of focusing on the real issues in the construction industry, they continue to prioritise sending their inspectors out to issue notices about union stickers on hardhats.
Construction is a dangerous industry, where serious safety breaches and unpaid entitlements are rife but the Morrison Government’s ideologically motivated body is obsessed with silencing workers and their unions”
“Prime Minister Scott Morrison might want to look at the appalling number of workplace fatalities that have happened in the construction industry on his watch, and prosecute unscrupulous employers instead.
“The Morrison Government have ignored the recommendations to criminalise industrial manslaughter in all states and territories. This is a law that would genuinely make construction workers safer and hold employers to account. It’s very clear that Prime Minister Scott Morrison does not prioritise workers’ safety and wellbeing.”
