Page 4523 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 14 December 1993
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Those standards will be implemented from early next year. That will see significant change to the way the building industry has operated. We will have quality assurance standards and we will have a process by which contractors pre-register to be eligible for contracts for major public works.
We held a seminar last week, Madam Speaker, for the local building industry. Over 110 participants came to hear about the process of reform. This process of reform will see significant savings to ratepayers; but, more importantly, it will see the local construction industry - and particularly consultants, project managers and the like - becoming internationally competitive. I also took the opportunity to announce that, while we are going down the path of facilitating a more competitive industry, we will also take quite firm measures to wipe out from the industry the undesirable element who have been operating at the fringe of the industry for too many years. For too long, Madam Speaker, small subcontractors have suffered when sharks in the industry have run companies into debt and bankrupted themselves.
As somebody who grew up as the son of a brickie and a subbie, I can remember some Christmases which were fairly grim when small sums - a couple of hundred quid - were not paid. I am determined that for the future that will be wiped out in the ACT. We will be taking two approaches to dealing with that. The first approach will be to require contractors who have major public works contracts to sign statutory declarations to the effect that they have paid their subbies. If they fail to do that, firm action will be taken. I am pleased to see some nods from the Opposition, because while we support the private sector I am sure that nobody supports the sharks in the industry.
The second approach, Madam Speaker - and I have directed the building control section to look very actively at this - will be to exclude people from building licences if they have a track record of driving companies to the wall. For too long people running building companies have driven them into bankruptcy. In many cases they drive fancy European cars and have very valuable homes held by a trust company or some other suitably removed legal entity. They come back into the industry, and small businesses suffer. Madam Speaker, this Government has dealt with some undesirable business practices in the ACT. Petrol prices are now lower. The building industry is next on our agenda to clean up.
ACTION - Enterprise Bargaining
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is addressed to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Industrial Relations. I refer the Minister to the proposals from the Transport Workers Union to save $6.5m annually through workplace reform in ACTION - an offer which the Minister has attempted to duck. How can the same Minister justify bringing our hospital system to a standstill because of a maximum possible saving of half a million dollars whilst at the same time ignoring savings of $6.5m per year?
MR BERRY: First of all, I have not ducked the issue. The issue is a matter which will be dealt with in due course by the Minister responsible - - -
Mr De Domenico: Who is that?
Mrs Carnell: Who is that?
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