Opposition Pledges to Resurrect Building Watchdog Amid CFMEU Corruption Issues

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he will work to resurrect a dormant construction watchdog in the wake of the controversy surrounding the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, and Energy Union (CFMEU). Mr. Dutton says the Liberal-National Coalition would introduce laws for the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) to monitor the construction industry during the federal Parliament’s August sittings. Failing that, the opposition leader pledged to bring back the ABCC if he wins the next election. The overseeing body was wound down last year, with all outstanding legal matters referred to the Fair Work Ombudsman. It was formalised in 2016 and issued $8.7 million in fines to the CFMEU during its short tenure, with one judge calling the union the “greatest recidivist offenders in Australian corporate history.”...