Appointment of Commissioner for the commission of inquiry into certain matters relating to the building and construction industry

Administered by Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Legislation au C2004Q00948 Not in force Prerogative Instrument

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ENTERED ON RECORD by me in Register of Patents No.  36             , page    34      , on 8 August 2001

 

 

 

 

 

Secretary to the Federal Executive Council

ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth:

TO the Honourable Terence Rhoderic Hudson Cole RFD QC

WHEREAS it is desired to have an inquiry into certain matters relating to the building and construction industry:

BY these Letters Patent issued in Our name by Our Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on the advice of the Federal Executive Council and pursuant to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Royal Commissions Act 1902 and other enabling powers, We appoint you to be a Commissioner to inquire into and report on the following matters in relation to the building and construction industry:

(a) the nature, extent and effect of any unlawful or otherwise inappropriate industrial or workplace practice or conduct, including, but not limited to:

(i) any practice or conduct relating to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, occupational health and safety laws, or other laws relating to workplace relations; and

(ii) fraud, corruption, collusion or anti-competitive behaviour, coercion, violence, or inappropriate payments, receipts or benefits; and

(iii) dictating, limiting or interfering with decisions whether or not to employ or engage persons, or relating to the terms on which they be employed or engaged;

(b) the nature, extent and effect of any unlawful or otherwise inappropriate practice or conduct relating to:

(i) failure to disclose or properly account for financial transactions undertaken by employee or employer organisations or their representatives or associates; or

(ii) inappropriate management, use or operation of industry funds for training, long service leave, redundancy or superannuation;

(c) taking into account your findings in relation to the matters referred to in the preceding paragraphs and other relevant matters, any measures, including legislative and administrative changes, to improve practices or conduct in the building and construction industry or to deter unlawful or inappropriate practices or conduct in relation to that industry.

AND We declare that, in these Letters Patent:

A reference to the ‘building and construction industry’ does not include the building or construction of single dwelling houses unless part of a multi-dwelling development;

A reference to ‘practice or conduct’ includes acts and omissions;

A reference to ‘law’ includes a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory and the common law.

AND We direct that you inquire into whether any practice or conduct that might have constituted a breach of any law should be referred to the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory agency.

AND We require you as expeditiously as possible to make your inquiry and, not later than 6 December 2002, to furnish to Our Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia the report of the results of your inquiry and such recommendations as you consider appropriate.

WITNESS the Right Reverend Dr Peter John Hollingworth, Companion of the Order of Australia, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, GovernorGeneral of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Dated 8 August 2001

GovernorGeneral

By His Excellency’s Command

Minister for Employment, Workplace

Relations and Small Business

for the

Prime Minister

 

 

Overview

The Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry was established by Letters Patent issued under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 2001. The legislation aimed to address significant concerns regarding unlawful and inappropriate practices within the building and construction industry. The policy objective was to comprehensively investigate these issues, including anti-competitive behaviour, fraud, corruption, and improper workplace conduct, and to recommend measures for legislative and administrative improvements to ensure better industry practices and deter unlawful activities. The Commission was tasked with examining these matters and reporting back with recommendations by 6 December 2002. This inquiry was authorised by the Governor-General, pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 and other relevant powers.

Scope and Application

The Letters Patent issued by the Governor-General appoints a Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into various aspects of the building and construction industry, excluding single dwelling houses unless they are part of a multi-dwelling development. The scope of the inquiry covers unlawful or otherwise inappropriate industrial or workplace practices, including those related to workplace relations, occupational health and safety, and anti-competitive behaviour, as well as financial mismanagement and inappropriate use of industry funds. The Commissioner is tasked with examining such practices and recommending measures to improve conduct or deter unlawful behaviour. The inquiry must consider whether any identified breaches of law should be referred to relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory agencies. The Commissioner is required to complete the inquiry and submit a report with recommendations by 6 December 2002. The inquiry applies to any acts or omissions that breach federal, state, or territory laws, or the common law, within the specified scope.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of this legislation (C2004Q00948) appoint a Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into various matters within the building and construction industry. Section 2 establishes the appointment of Terence Rhoderic Hudson Cole as the Commissioner for the purpose of investigating unlawful or inappropriate practices, including those related to workplace relations, financial transactions, and the management of industry funds. The Commissioner is tasked with reporting on these issues and suggesting measures to improve industry practices and deter unlawful conduct (Section 3). Section 5 declares that the term 'building and construction industry' excludes single-dwelling houses unless they are part of a multi-dwelling development. It also clarifies that 'practice or conduct' includes both acts and omissions, and 'law' encompasses all Commonwealth, State, and Territory laws as well as the common law. Section 6 directs the Commissioner to investigate whether any identified practices or conduct should be referred to relevant agencies for further action. The obligations imposed on the Commissioner under this legislation are to conduct a thorough and expedited inquiry into the specified matters. The Commissioner must investigate unlawful or inappropriate practices in the building and construction industry, focusing on issues such as workplace relations, financial transparency, and the proper management of industry funds. Additionally, Section 4 requires the Commissioner to report findings and recommendations to the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia by no later than 6 December 2002. The Commissioner is also directed to refer any breaches of law identified during the inquiry to the appropriate Commonwealth, State, or Territory agency. The legislation does not explicitly outline offences, penalties, or consequences for breach within the text. However, the failure to comply with the directive to report findings and recommendations by the specified deadline could be considered a breach of the terms set out in the Letters Patent. While the legislation does not specify penalties, non-compliance could potentially lead to legal consequences, including judicial review or other administrative actions to enforce compliance with the mandate. The consequences for unlawful practices uncovered during the inquiry would be determined by the relevant laws governing those practices, which may include civil or criminal penalties as provided by existing legislation.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.