Politics can be removed from reform, such as to weed out alleged corruption in Australia’s building industry, without challenging its success.
AAP/Julian Smith
As allegations of corruption in Australia’s construction unions continue to emerge, the scandal – purportedly involving underworld heavyweight Mick Gatto and bikie gangs – appears to be an Underbelly script…
The CFMEU says corruption within the building industry should be referred to the police for prosecution, but the government is looking to a revived ABCC.
Julian Smith/AAP
Recent investigations into the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) by the ABC and Fairfax have revealed relationships between rogue union officials, underworld figures and outlaw motorcycle…
Penalties for unlawful picketing will increase under a planned new ABCC.
David Crosling/AAP
The Abbott Government is this year preparing to revive the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) after it was renamed and stripped of many of its powers by the Gillard Government in 2012…
Icy routes were laid for sliding super-size stones.
inkelv1122
While visiting and enjoying the architecture of the Forbidden City in China, three researchers wondered how large rocks weighing many hundreds of tons were transported to the site more than 500 years ago…
Infrastructure construction costs are far higher in Australia than in comparable OECD countries, making it difficult for politicians to commit to large projects.
AAP/David Crosling
Infrastructure is about the long-term growth and prosperity of a nation, but Australia will get very little of this benefit if the cost of building it continues to rapidly escalate. Australia is becoming…
The Abbott government is moving to re-establish a commission dealing with construction union militancy, but the CFMEU says it won’t back down.
AAP/Juilan Smith
Australia’s construction union will not back down on militancy in the face of tougher laws surrounding construction sites, according to controversial union boss Joe McDonald. The Abbott government last…
Under the sea or through mountains, it’s all the same.
Roger Wollstadt
Londoners will be aware that there is a lot of work going on under their feet at the moment. There is the new Crossrail railway with eight subterranean stations, expansion of Tottenham Court Road, Bond…
If Kevin Rudd replaces Julia Gillard as Labor leader next week, constitutional conventions dictate that he may not necessarily become prime minister again.
AAP/Julian Smith
If some reports are to be believed, Kevin Rudd will replace Julia Gillard as leader of the ALP and become prime minister again by the end of next week. This raises questions about the political and constitutional…
There are an average of 41 construction worker deaths per year, yet they are rarely reported in public.
Flickr/yewenyi
The construction industry is a major part of the Australian economy. Construction sites are everywhere. Some of them are recognisable from kilometres away due to their impressive tower cranes. You may…
Cement manufacture is a substantial producer of emissions, and we’re using ever-more concrete. Something has to change.
Eduardo MC/Flickr
John Mathews, Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Cement production is one of the dirtiest industrial processes on the planet. It produces nearly 9% of global carbon emissions. This increases every year with the extraordinary demands for building materials…
For seven years, the London Olympics Organising Committee has been striving to live up to the sustainability vision it set itself. It’s been a long, honest fight. On the eve of the Games, how well have…
Talk of a Chinese property bubble has been greatly exaggerated.
Spiffy0777
Five years on, the US economy remains sluggish after the bursting of a house price bubble. More recently, the focus has been on China, the world’s second largest economy, and whether it too might be overwhelmed…