Queensland’s “best practice industry conditions” (BPICs) are pejoratively referred to by some critics as the “CFMEU tax”.
The conditions were negotiated for the construction of the new Townsville Stadium with the former state Labor government in 2018, but later applied to all major government projects over the value of $100 million.
Conditions laid out in the policy, including a 5 per cent annual pay rise for workers on major projects until 2027, extra pay for working in the rain, restrictions around working in hot and humid conditions, and allowances for using a personal phone for work or having to travel to a site, have made headlines.
Construction workers rallying in Brisbane on Wednesday.Credit: William Davis
The conditions were heavily criticised for being over-the-top and responsible for major cost blowouts.
The LNP claimed that budgets for big government projects were inflated by 30 per cent as a result of the BPICs. However, there was little concrete evidence behind that assertion.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced in November last year that BPICs would be suspended “effective immediately” to “get construction sites in Queensland working again”.
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King said the move would likely push workers to other industries or states.
“If the LNP want to get serious about improving productivity on government jobs they should review their contracts with the majors to ensure they are prevented from gouging Queensland taxpayers for alleged cost blow-outs,” King said.
You can read more about Queensland’s BPICs here, and here.
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