The ABCC - Who Will Be Next?

Author unknown©2012

The ABCC came first for the CFMEU
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a member of the CFMEU
Then they came for the AWU
and I didn't speak up because I was not in the AWU
Then they came for the ETU
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't in the ETU
Then they came for the PTEU
And I didn't speak up because I wasn't in the PTEU
Then they came for the AMWU
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't in the AMWU
Then they came for the MUA
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't in the MUA
Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up for me

Notes

Part of the legacy of the Howard years was the extraordinary special court set up to deal with organised workers in the construction industry.

The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) was immediately condemned by the International Labour Organisation, to which Australia is a signatory.

The court was endowed with 'star chamber' powers;

• no one called for interrogation has the right to silence
• interrogations are secret 
• it is illegal to discuss your case with family or friends 
• you may not be able to choose your own lawyer 

Doc Evatt's phrase "injustice within the law", and his warning to unions about their rights has special resonance in the birth and life of this court. It was devised to disempower the construction industry unions at the behest of the construction industry conglomerates.

It began operations on 1 October 2005 and was finally abolished by the Gillard Government in March 2012. Can we afford to rest in peace?