The ACTU, formed in 1927, is the peak body for Australian unions and is the only national union confederation in Australia. For more than 90 years, the ACTU has played the leading role in advocating for the rights and conditions of working people and their families. The ACTU is made up of 39 affiliated unions and trades and labour councils, and we represent almost 2 million working people across all industries. Many of the members of our affiliated unions work in sectors affected by this legislation and as such we are pleased to have the opportunity to support the submissions made by their representative unions.

The ACTU shares the concerns expressed by our affiliated unions that the changes proposed in this bill have been developed without the typical level of consultation with affected workers and their unions – consultation which has typically resulted in more effective and well-targeted security legislation in the transport field. It is equally troubling that the proposed amendments could be interpreted as increasing the burden placed on workers in the sector in order to maintain their ASIC/MSIC card while also watering down the focus of security regime of which it forms a part.