A new era for Australia’s building and construction industry has started from today. An era in which law and order is restored and respected.

Thanks to this Government, we now have a genuine watchdog for Australia’s building and construction industry – the Australian Building and Construction Commission – to enforce tougher laws and a stronger Building Code.

I have today issued the new Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work 2016, which applies to companies who wish to undertake Commonwealth-funded building work.

The Code will apply to all new tenders for Commonwealth-funded building work and all building contractors who tender will need to comply with the Code’s conduct requirements on building sites from today onwards.

This includes ensuring compliance with right of entry laws for union officials, freedom of association provisions protecting workers’ right to join or not to join a union, and work health and safety and security of payment laws, or risk losing access to Commonwealth-funded building work.

New enterprise agreements made from today must comply with the new Code in order to be eligible to be awarded Commonwealth-funded work.

Building contractors covered by enterprise agreements made before today now have until 29 November 2018 to ensure their agreements are Code compliant. Enterprise agreements are made at the time that employees vote to approve the agreement.

The obligations in the former Building Code 2013 will continue to apply to Commonwealth-funded building work for which expressions of interest or tenders were issued prior to the commencement of the new code.