Australian Building and Construction Commission

This article is about the Australian Government agency that existed from 2016–2023. For the Australian Government agency that existed from 2005–2012, see Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner.

Australian Building and Construction Commission
Agency overview
Formed2 December 2016[1]
Preceding agency
Dissolved6 February 2023
Superseding agency
JurisdictionCommonwealth of Australia
HeadquartersMelbourne
Minister responsible
  • Tony Burke, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Agency executives
Websitewww.abcc.gov.au

The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) was an independent, statutory authority of the Australian Government, responsible for promoting understanding and enforcing workplace relations compliance in the Australian building and construction industry.[2] The ABCC was established under the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 (Cth) (BCIIP Act).[3]

The ABCC existed in a different form as the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner between 2005 and 2012, and was replaced by Fair Work Building and Construction (FWBC) between 2012 and 2016. In 2015 the Abbott government attempted to reinstate the ABCC, but the legislation failed to pass the two houses of Parliament. A further attempt to pass the legislation was unsuccessfully made by the Turnbull government in March 2016. After the two failed attempts to reintroduce the ABCC, in December 2016 Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the double dissolution 2016 federal election. Following the election, the re-elected Turnbull government was successful in reinstating the ABCC with the vote of Senators Pauline Hanson's One Nation, Nick Xenophon Team and Derryn Hinch.

The Albanese Government transferred the responsibilities of the ABCC that it intended to continue to the Fair Work Ombudsman in November 2022, and passed legislation to formally abolish the ABCC in December 2022. The ABCC, stripped of any continuing function, was gradually wound down ahead of its official abolition on 6 February 2023.[4][5]

  1. ^ "History of the Agency". Australian Building and Construction Commission. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Overview". Australian Building and Construction Commission. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016". Austlii. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act now in force". Mirage News. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Abolition of the ABCC and ROC". Fair Work Ombudsman. Retrieved 7 February 2023.