The ABCC is draconian, anti democratic and unjust SCRAP IT NOW

There is no justification whatsoever to hold construction workers (an industry in which a worker dies every week - when this happens his/her colleagues have to prove they had a reasonable concern about an imminent risk to legally stop work and assess site safety otherwise they face fines under the ABCC) to laws that do not apply to any other person in the country.

While I'm not blind to some dodgy dealings within the industry (on BOTH sides, the Royal Comish/witch hunt, despite spending $70 million in taxpayer monies came up with ONE prosecution) it still does not justify this.

There is considerable evidence of criminality within the wholesale fruit and vegetable markets, where is their special office complete with powers even the coppers don't have?

Does the criminal/unethical behaviour of the Theophanous brothers and Belinda Neal mean we can have a Politicians Commission? where is the special panel that can show up at Gillard's house demanding to know what was said at ALP meetings

There is almost an affectionately regarded criminality within Australia's racing community, where is their special commissioner with the power to deny the right to silence?

The ILO has criticized the ABCC on several levels but the ALP need to hear from non construction industry voters.

The construction unions were instrumental in the Rights and Work campaign and poured in a absolute shitload of their money towards getting rid of Howard's government.

Reciprocate their support, write to your MP, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, support union actions and check out

http://www.rightsonsite.org.au/index.php

For anyone else who wants to, here's the link to the petition...

http://www.rightsonsite.org.au/subscribe/index.php?customlist=action2

I worked for a few years as the sole clerical person with a whole lot of tradies who did maintenance and new projects at Defence, and even though I was a member of the CPSU, which wasn't active at all in the department I worked for, a CFMEU official was the one who threw me a lifeline and went in to bat unofficially for me when I needed help. He made the CPSU take notice of what management was trying to do to me, and thanks to him the CPSU finally did get involved and stop it from happening. So I'm very supportive of the buildng unions and think nasty creations of the Howard govt like the ABCC need to be dismantled asap...