(Australia) Behind the industrial relations bills that could trigger a double-dissolution election

[unhappycamper]

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/21/behind-the-industrial-relations-bills-that-could-trigger-a-double-dissolution-election

The bills inherited from the Abbott era are designed to increase government powers to crack down on unions

Behind the industrial relations bills that could trigger a double-dissolution election
Paul Karp
Monday 21 March 2016 01.03 EDT

Malcolm Turnbull has said two industrial relations bills stuck in parliament since the Abbott era are central to the government’s economic agenda, recalling parliament and threatening a double dissolution if they don’t pass.

The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) bill would reintroduce the ABCC as the watchdog for construction unions, giving it enhanced investigation powers and the authority to clamp down on unlawful pickets.

The ABCC would be able to compel workers to attend interrogations or produce documents if it reasonably believes they can assist an investigation. People called before the ABCC cannot use the right against self-incrimination to refuse to answer questions.

The bill would apply a reverse onus of proof for unions to show that a picket of a building site was lawful, or face them being shut down by an injunction. It also bans industrial coercion over which superannuation funds employers choose in agreements, and discriminating against employers who do not use a particular agreement such as a union deal. These also carry a reverse onus of proof.