The coercive powers of the Australian Building and Construction Commission may jeopardise the safety of the construction industry, according to Greens senator Rachel Siewert.
Senator Siewert said the Senate's Employment and Workplace Relations Committee needed to investigate the safety impact of the coercive powers, which the Rudd Government has retained in legislation tabled in Parliament this week.
''The building industry has a lot of accidents, and the number of deaths appears to have increased. We've said all along that we were concerned that by bringing in these anti-union laws you start having an impact on safety,'' Senator Siewert said.
''What was put to us, and what I've seen in the industry, is that workers look after the safety on site, and they bring a lot of safety complaints. The suggestion is that workers have been intimidated out of taking measures to ensure adequate safety.''
The commission's coercive powers allow it to override a person's common law right to silence, with penalties of up to six months in jail for refusing to answer the commission's questions
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