Shadow, your concern for the profits of the billionaire developers like James Packer at Barangaroo in Sydney is touching. Can you support your claim that "the construction industry (in Australia) is the most expensive in the world, making Aus unattractive to foreign investors." Anyone living in Sydney would find it hard to believe that statement, given the huge amount of development taking place.
Liberal Party corruption where developers were, and possibly still are, making illegal payments to party members has been well and truly exposed by the NSW ICAC.
The building industry is a dangerous business (for the workers), with Safe Work Australia reporting an unacceptable 16 deaths alone in the construction industry so far this year, with 23 deaths reported last year. Well over 150 Australians die annually through work related accidents. This is fact and not some vague claim related to profits. To make construction "more attractive" to foreign investors how many deaths are you willing to accept in the industry, because if we are going to compete with third world countries, we are going to have to lower our industry standards to their level.
It is through the work of unions like the CFMEU that worker safety gets any serious attention on the job site, time and time again the union goes into non union sites, only to find dodgy work practices which can and do result in deaths.
Shadow, you call for transparency, and I agree, but it is a two way street, and illegal payments of all kinds, including illegal payments to the Liberal Party in NSW by developers also have to be stamped out. Otherwise shonky practices will continue being fed by the bosses, all to improve their bottom line.

Paul,

I find your desire to protect the right of union heavies to have their houses built for free touching. The cost of construction in Aus has been the highest in the world for a while now. Do you ever read the papers.

Please tell me how stopping the union corruption and selling of wages to employers will affect safety? stopping corruption does not reduce safety, but with union reps actually doing their work instead of acting as collectors, it might actually improve.

And the deep corruption of the Greens has been exposed by the police (Karel Solomon) and the dirty money paid by companies and unions.

Shadow, I deplore corruption in all its forms, and it is somewhat systemic in Australian society, every where from all levels of government, to your local club official, right through to your bent cooper etc, I do not believe the union movement, and business, are exempt from the influence of the corrupt.

What motivates you in this discussion is your hatred of unions and no sense of what is right and fair for the working men and women of Australia. On balance I believe unions have been a positive for the workers of Australia.

Again I ask you to provide evidence that building costs in Australia are the highest in the world. I will not accept a beat up from one your much loved Murdoch fish wrappers as proof.As I posted earlier the amount of development going ahead in Sydney give the lie to your claim.

"BILLIONAIRE James Packer unveiled his vision for Sydney last night, giving a $2 billion promise to repay the city’s faith with a spectacular and iconic building that will carry the city into the future.

“The government and the parliament have put their faith in us and we will deliver them something truly spectacular,” Mr Packer said. “There has never been a hotel that cost $5 million a room in the history of the world.” That development is in SYDNEY AUSTRALIA.

Paul,

Here is a comparison of construction costs world wide. The only country that comes close is Canada. Aus is far more expensive than the USA, Germany, UK, Japan, etc.

Even blind Freddy can see two things:
1 There is rampant corruption in many of the unions, particularly the CFMEU and AWU, where extortion is common place, and sweet heart deals are made to reduce workers pay in exchange for payments to the unions.
2 The reporting requirements of the unions are so lax that most of this corruption is undetectable without a RC.

So Paul, tell me which anti corruption measures you object to and why:
1 Banning payments to unions from companies
2 Requiring unions to submit audited reports (like every other organisation)
3 Put in place a commission to deal swiftly with illegal activities by the unions that directly harm others.

Your snippet that shows Packer's hotel costs more per room than any other hotel in the world shows up your lie that building costs are not the most expensive in the world.

The development is Sydney is driven by high housing prices and low interest.

Well Shadow I like this one;

"Here is a comparison of construction costs world wide. The only country that comes close is Canada. Aus is far more expensive than the USA, Germany, UK, Japan, etc."

Where is this comparison, for all I know, this could be a figment of your imagination. I see no comparison!

As for Packer, his hotel could have 24 carat gold door knobs, the cost is meaningless as a guide to building costs world wide. It does show the confidence the man has in Australia as a place to build with the involvement of members of the CFMEU, and invest to make a profit. I would assume much of that investment money was raised o/s, nothing to do with the local housing market.

I have no problem with employer payments to unions to provide legitimate worker benefits such as 'health and safety' training, particularly where the employer is not in a position to provide such. I have no problem with your point #2, seems fair and reasonable. Point #3 should also include employers, but this needs explaining, is it on top of the Fair Work Commission? What body, what powers?

What I do object to, is a philosophical driven attempt to discredit Labor, particularly Shorten, and the unions by the use of the powers of an $80 million royal commission, with the perceived bias of the commissioner himself. I do not have time for Shorten and the AWU, not when he was a union official or as a Labor leader.

You previously posted that I hate the Catholic Church, assume I do, but I don't hate anyone including Catholics, is your anti union bias based on an unhappy experience, or is it like Abbott's was, all philosophical?

Paul,

Missed the attachment:

http://www.rics.org/sg/knowledge/glossary/building-costs-around-the-world/

Not easy to read, but the best there is.

You brought up Packer not me.

As for my proposals, 1) the corrupt payments to the unions were always entitled "training" or something but with no training delivered, This is a loophole through which all shonky payments flow.

3) I am quite happy to include and prosecute employers for shonky behaviour and payments too.