ABCC report outdated discredited

Date: 02 August 2008

The release today of the Australian Building and Construction Commissions 'Economic Analysis of Building and Construction Industry Productivity: 2008' report is fundamentally flawed, said Dave Noonan, National Secretary CFMEU Construction Division.

"This report is a last ditch attempt from an outdated and discredited institution to save itself. Recycling unreliable statistical analysis from their 2007 report is a sign that the ABCC is stuck in the Howard era," said Dave Noonan.

The union labeled the report a rehash of unreliable evidence which was first produced in the heat of last year's federal election campaign.

"The analysis in the report is fundamentally flawed. Econtech have the wrong measure for productivity. Anyone who has a clue about the construction industry would know the Rawlinsons' Guide measures costs, not productivity.

"It also seems the ABCC and Econtech don't know their own history. The Productivity Commission figures show that construction industry multi-factor productivity had the greatest increase between 2002 and 2003. Well before the ABCC was established.

"At least one case-study in the report, that of the Eastlink project, lacks any credibility. The author of that case study has no relevant qualifications in the construction industry but rather is a spokesman for the extreme right-wing Institute of Public Affairs.

"The four new case studies in the report are compromised by the lack of any precise evidence of the date of the projects.

"Mr Rudd should send this report back to the ABCC with a fail mark. The building commission is failing to address the real issues in the construction industry - safety, job security, training of apprentices - and is wasting tax payers dollars.

"It's time we brought an end to the ABCC and treated construction workers the same as all other workers," said Mr Noonan.

For further information

Contact:	Dave Noonan
Union:	CFMEU
WWW:	http://www.cfmeu.asn.au/

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed
by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW
[Credits] [Site Matters]