Media Releases
03 Aug 2010
Ark's international solidarity
Dear Comrade Arc Tribe, First of all, allow me on behalf of several million of building workers represented in our Trades Union International UITBB around the world, to pay tribute to your courage and steadfastness in your struggle for your just cause
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20 Jul 2010
Ark Tribe’s trial providing proof of the real Tony Abbott
The trial of an ordinary construction worker in Adelaide today is highlighting just how high risk the Coalition is when it comes to workplace relations.
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Rights on Site in the News
07 Aug 2010
Ark Tribe’s struggle is our struggle
Last month, thousands of people around the country marched in solidarity with Ark Tribe, the construction worker from Adelaide who faces six months’ jail for refusing to attend an interview with the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC)
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23 Jul 2010
Industrial laws case adjourned for two months
The trial of a construction worker charged with breaching federal industrial laws has been adjourned for two months.
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22 Jul 2010
ACTU continues attack on Work Choices
Work Choices might be "dead, buried and cremated" but the ACTU says it will ensure the failed workplace relations system continues to haunt the coalition's election campaign.
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21 Jul 2010
ACTU wants Labor to keep the faith on Fair Work regime
Unions have decided to further encourage Labor to bolster its Fair Work regime, as the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, sought to neutralise the issue by again saying there would be no changes to the Fair Work laws in the first term of an Abbott government
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20 Jul 2010
Case against unionist Ark Tribe 'illegal', court hears
THE case against unionist Ark Tribe is "unlawful and illegal" while lacking any evidentiary weight, a court has heard.
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20 Jul 2010
Tribe defence questions commission
Lawyers for construction worker Ark Tribe have attempted to discredit the commission which called him to attend an investigation into the legality of stop work action.
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19 Jul 2010
Workers protest as Ark Tribe hearing resumes
A trial has resumed in Adelaide of a construction worker charged under federal industrial laws.
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06 Jul 2010
Building watchdog undermines liberty
In the heated, protracted battle over the Australian Building and Construction Commission, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. When I first looked at the law that underpins the commission, I expected many of the strongest attacks to be wildly ov
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22 Jun 2010
Call for building watchdog test case to be dropped on a technicality
The case against a construction worker charged with failing to cooperate with the building industry watchdog should be thrown out because of a legal technicality, a court heard today.
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15 Jun 2010
UCATT Calls For Acquittal of Australian Construction Worker Ark Tribe
UCATT, the major UK construction union, today sent a clear message of solidarity to sister union in Australia, Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, (CFMEU), and construction worker Ark Tribe, in their fight against the ABCC
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01 Jun 2010
Building watchdog to lose chief
THE Victorian building industry needs further reform to overcome an ''entrenched attitude'' of unlawful conduct, the departing head of the industry watchdog has said.
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01 Jun 2010
Counterpunch: You can speak ill of the politically dead
When anyone passes away, it’s only natural to dwell on their good points. So it is with professional life – no matter how hopeless someone is, the farewell speech will ultimately focus on their love of small animals.
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21 May 2010
Qld unions support Tribe
19 May, 2010
The construction industry in Queensland will come to a sudden halt if South Australian unionist Ark Tribe is jailed.
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21 May 2010
Unions vow to back Ark Tribe
AAP | May 18, 2010
Building unions have vowed to bring construction in Queensland to a sudden halt if South Australian unionist Ark Tribe is jailed.
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21 May 2010
Union activists to support worker's case
David Nason | The Australian | May 20, 2010
TWO men wrongly convicted over IRA pub bombings in Britain in the 1970s will visit Adelaide next month for the trial of Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union construction worker Ark Tribe.
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12 Aug 2009
Hundreds to support construction worker
Hundreds are expected to rally outside a South Australian court in support of a construction worker fighting charges laid against him by
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11 Aug 2009
Hundreds rally to support defiant construction worker
BUILDING unions are threatening nationwide industrial action if construction worker Ark Tribe is jailed for refusing to give evidence to the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) in Adelaide.
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11 Aug 2009
National strike threat over workplace laws
A national union leader says there will be widespread strikes if a South Australian member is sent to jail
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26 Jun 2009
Power plays over building industry monitor
The national construction secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, Dave Noonan, accused the Coalition of "breathtaking hypocrisy"
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12 Jun 2009
Union defends campaign against building watchdog
Matthew Franklin | The Australian | KEVIN Rudd appears to have won the latest round in his battle against a left-wing union demanding he exceed his election mandate on industrial relations by scrapping the building industry watchdog.
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11 Jun 2009
Gillard spells out the limits of union influence
Editorial | The Age | The ACTU delegates were in the right on one matter of principle, summed up in the chant "one law for all".
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11 Jun 2009
Building worker laws like racism: union
The Age | Industrial laws aimed at cracking down on building workers are comparable with racial discrimination, the head of Australia's building union says.
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11 Jun 2009
Gillard denies construction watchdog changes rushed
Emma Rodgers | ABC | Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard denies the Government is rushing the overhaul of its controversial construction industry watchdog, as it plans to introduce legislation into Parliament.
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11 Jun 2009
Kevin Rudd stares down angry unions
Matthew Franklin & Ewin Hannan | KEVIN Rudd has pointedly rebuked union leaders by vowing that if they seek to change Labor policy to protect thuggery on building sites he will defy the party platform.
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10 Jun 2009
Tribal war between Gillard and the union movement
The Punch | Peter Lewis | The improbably named Ark Tribe...
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10 Jun 2009
PM digs in over battle with unions
Michelle Grattan & Misha Schubert | The Age | KEVIN Rudd has made it clear he is determined to retain powers of compulsory interrogation for the construction industry, despite a vociferous union campaign against them.
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10 Jun 2009
PM joins in fight against building union chiefs
Mark Davis & Phillip Coorey | SMH | THE Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has joined the Labor Government's assault on union demands that it scrap tough sanctions against illegal industrial behaviour in the building industry.
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10 Jun 2009
CFMEU has spoken in fight for survival
Gavin Lower | The Australian | AUSTRALIA'S largest construction union has warned of nationwide strikes if an Adelaide building worker is jailed for refusing to be interviewed by the industry watchdog. The ultimatum came as union members rallied outside th
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09 Jun 2009
Paul Howes Joins Lateline
Lateline | Click here for interview with Paul Howes National Secretary of the AWU on the campaign to abolish the ABCC.
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09 Jun 2009
Union member facing jail for failing to attend hearing
Adelaide Advertiser | Andrew Dowdel | About 200 union members have gathered outside an Adelaide court to support a rigger who faces six months jail for failing to attend a hearing of an ...
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09 Jun 2009
Rigger emerges as face of union campaign
The Independent Weekly | Steve Larkin | Ark Tribe, a 47-year-old rigger, is the unlikely wedge between the government and one of Australia's strongest unions. The construction worker faces six ...
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09 Jun 2009
Unionists rally for worker Ark Tribe threatened with jail
The Australian | Ewin Hannan | Unionists will today rally in support of South Australian building worker Ark Tribe, who faces a possible jail term for failing to co-operate with the ...
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09 Jun 2009
Protest over workplace laws case
ABC Online | About 200 union workers have rallied outside a South Australian court where a construction worker has faced a charge of breaching federal industrial ...
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08 Jun 2009
Gillard spells out the limits of union influence
The numbers are against unionists seeking to call the shots on policy. THE name would appear to say it all: the Australian Labor Party. The ALP emerged as the political arm of the labour movement and its union affiliates are still an important source of m
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03 Jun 2009
Deputy PM Julia Gillard jeered by Union Delegates
Ben Schneiders | The Age | Julia Gillard has been greeted with cries of "shame"
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03 Jun 2009
Deputy Prime Minister angers ACTU Congress
The World Today| The Deputy Prime Minister has stared down hundreds of unionists
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03 Jun 2009
Unions boo Gillard in Brisbane
Daniel Hurst | Brisbane Times | Deputy Prime Minister has been booed...
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03 Jun 2009
Gillard shouted down by unionists
AAP | Union delegates at the triennial ACTU congress in Brisbane
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03 Jun 2009
Building watchdog the main IR issue
Ben Schneiders | The Age| Labor has been formally condemned by its industrial wing for keeping the controversial building industry watchdog. Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard is ...
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03 Jun 2009
Be proud of your roots Unions tell Gillard
Kirsty Needham | Sydney Morning Herald | A petition signed by the families of dead construction workers and a sea of yellow protest shirts will be used to convince the Deputy Prime Minister, ...
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03 Jun 2009
Building unions to brick in Julia Gillard
Ewin Hannan | The Australian | Unions will today confront Julia Gillard at the ACTU national congress, demanding the Rudd Government immediately abolish the building industry watchdog, ...
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03 Jun 2009
Unions call to reduce workplace deaths
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT should act to reduce construction industry deaths and repeal laws that discriminate against building workers, unions said. ...
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20 May 2009
Unions want 'second wave' industry reforms
Ewin Hannan | The Australian
Union leaders will demand Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard commit Labor to a "second wave" of industrial reforms...
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20 May 2009
Fight looms on building successor
Michelle Grattan| The Age
A major brawl is looming at Labor's coming showcase national conference over the continuation of coercive powers over construction workers...
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11 May 2009
Allan Fels: a ghost from the past
Paddy Crumlin, MUA National Secretary slams former ACCC chief for anti union crusade.
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08 Apr 2009
Construction unions flag strike action over ABCC
ABC News | Construction unions have reaffirmed their opposition to the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) at meetings across the country.
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08 Apr 2009
Safety fears spark strike
Ben Schneiders | The Age | THOUSANDS of building workers will walk off the job in protest as a campaign of civil disobedience against the controversial building watchdog intensifies.
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05 Mar 2009
Howard's construction inquiry bore little fruit
Andrew West | The Age | The Howard government's $66 million royal commission into the building industry led to just one prosecution and one conviction, Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard says.
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05 Mar 2009
Construction watchdog lacks bite
Andrew West | Sydney Morning Herald | The Howard government's $66 million royal commission into the building industry led to just one prosecution and one conviction, the Government says.
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24 Dec 2008
Building watchdog defends powers
Katharine Murphy | The Age | THE Victorian building industry retains pockets of lawlessness despite a crackdown on thuggery and intimidation, according to the construction watchdog, which has launched a thinly disguised plea to keep its sweeping investiga
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23 Dec 2008
Union slams ABCC's 'oppressive' use of powers
ABC | The construction union says the industry watchdog has been heavy-handed in using controversial powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.
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03 Dec 2008
Building union urges defiance
Ben Schneiders | The Age
A CAMPAIGN of civil disobedience against the building industry watchdog is to be unleashed after union leaders told a mass rally of workers to break the law and not co-operate with the regulator.
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02 Dec 2008
Thousands protest against building watchdog
Perth Now | Narelle Towie
HUNDREDS of WA workers rallied outside Parliament House in Perth to demand the scrapping of the powerful building industry watchdog.
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02 Dec 2008
Building workers down tools to axe commission
ABC | THOUSANDS of construction workers have walked off the job in Melbourne demanding the abolition of the the Building and Construction Commission
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02 Dec 2008
Unions rally against Howard's building watchdog
ABC |
HUNDREDS of workers have marched through Sydney's CBD calling on the Federal Government to scrap the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
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02 Dec 2008
Union rally calls for ABCC scrapping
The Age | Mex Cooper
THOUSANDS of union members have rallied in Melbourne to call for the Australian Building and Construction Commission to be scrapped.
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02 Dec 2008
Building workers urge abolition of ABCC
Sydney Morning Herald |
UNION leaders have threatened to withdraw support for the federal Labor government if it does not give in to demands to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
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02 Dec 2008
Building unions send Rudd an ultimatum
The Australian | UNION leaders have threatened to withdraw support for the Federal Labor Government if it does not give in to demands to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
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02 Dec 2008
Workers to march on PM's office
The Australian |
THOUSANDS of construction workers are expected to march on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Brisbane office today, calling for the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
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02 Dec 2008
Bias rebuke for building watchdog
Ben Schneiders | The Age
AN INSPECTOR for the building industry watchdog was "avidly anti-union" and biased against the construction union and evidence produced from an interview was "inherently unreliable", a Federal Court judge said.
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