WE WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT

EVERYONE agrees subbies need to get paid for the work they do.

In an age of increasing casualisation and growing job insecurity, if you do a job, then you deserve to be paid on time.

If the work they carry out is of high standard and completed on-time, then they deserve to be paid on-time.

The recent collapse of several contractors on the Gold Coast has shown more protections are needed.

The Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Bill 2017 was introduced into State Parliament this week against the backdrop of Ware Building Pty Ltd being placed in voluntary administration, owing some subbies as much as $200,000 for work they did on the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village.

The current legislation is timely and the LNP is happy to work with the State Government to get this right.

Let’s not forget, this whole process started in 2004

through the bipartisan approach with the Building Construction Industry Payments Act.

After 10 years, the LNP Government did make significant reforms to what is a difficult and complex area.

The building and construction industry is the state’s third-largest employer, supporting 220,000 jobs and worth $44 billion to the state’s economy.

We have to get these reforms right.

The LNP will review the Bill closely to ensure it does what everyone wants it to do.

We need to ensure that whatever new legislation is passed actually works and that subbies are paid what they are owed.

Most importantly, the new laws must not increase the cost for Queenslanders of home repairs and construction at a time when cost of living is already out of control.

As always with Labor Party policy, the devil will be in the detail. For the government to be simply saying subcontractors should contact Grocon when it’s patently clear many smaller subbies have been left hanging is a brush-off.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has had countless opportunities to guarantee that subbies will be paid what they are owed, but unsurprisingly, she has once again failed to deliver.