The Guardian 24 October, 2007
ABCC has no effect on construction costs
"The claims in the latest Liberal party scare ad that housing construction costs will be higher under Labor are absolute rubbish", according to Dave Noonan, National Secretary of the CFMEU Construction Division.
The claim that abolishing the Howard Government’s IR attack dog, the ABCC will lead to increased costs, is just another scare mongering tactic from an increasingly beleaguered John Howard. Even employers groups have publicly condemned the advertisements.
The ABCC has never covered the housing industry.
"The latest gaffe shows a Liberal party which is not only out of touch with working families, but is unaware of the jurisdictions of one of its own creations", said Dave Noonan.
The facts are, that since the ABCC was established in September 2005, building costs have continued to rise. According to the Westpac / AIQS BRIX Building Survey, building costs grew by 6.5 percent in the year to December 2006 (the highest growth since the September 2005 survey) and were expected to continue rising at around 6.3 percent over the year to December 2007.
"For months now the union has warned that the ABCC is nothing more than a tax payer funded dirt unit of the liberal party, secretly recording union meetings and leaking them to the media.
"Now we have a television advert using flawed ABCC research to shore up a desperate Liberal party campaign. Finally all Australians will be able to see the dark hand of the ABCC trying to interfere in the election."
Calling for the adverts to be immediately pulled from networks, Dave Noonan said, "It’s time to end the lies that are being told to the Australian people about the construction industry. The real issue is that the ABCC has draconian powers to suspend workers’ right to silence and sue individual workers more that $20,000 for standing up for their rights at work."