I take this opportunity to speak about an important industry in Victoria that is responsible for hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the state. This week thousands of construction workers voted overwhelmingly to support a new enterprise bargaining agreement for the construction industry that will result in a complete modernisation of this industry and its practices. Included in the suite of industry improvements are a number of advancements for women working or seeking to work in the construction industry. These improvements include mandatory female amenities on site, paid parental leave and paid family violence leave. It is important that women have access to these types of jobs and the opportunities that men have in the industry. This agreement recognises that.
Other aspects of the agreement include significant safety improvements in an industry where so many lives are lost each year at work; major productivity gains for the industry; a fair wage increase for workers; and certainty for the industry and its workforce to continue in the important work it does for our state. This is an agreement that clearly represents the interests of both workers and employers, struck with overwhelming support and no industrial action. It begs the question, my friends, colleagues and those opposite, who was at the centre of these negotiations with the construction industry, representing its members, the thousands upon thousands of workers in Victoria? That is right. It was the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). There we go again — the CFMEU is getting on with it, doing its job and delivering for its members.