Abbott targets union bosses in crime policy
Union officials would face the same penalties for criminal offences as company directors, under a coalition anti-corruption policy to be unveiled by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott today.
The Opposition has long railed against the legislative discrepancies underpinning the oversight of union bosses compared to company chiefs.
Under the Fair Work Act, registered organisations and their officers are only exposed to civil penalties with the potential for comparatively modest fines of up to $10,200, whereas company directors can be subject to criminal penalties including personal fines of up to $340,000 and up to five years imprisonment.
Since mid-2012, Fair Work Australia has launched well over 20 new inquiries and investigations into alleged breaches of compliance rules by registered organisations and 13 of them are currently ongoing.
Mr Abbott has promised that a coalition government would move swiftly to improve the standard of registered organisations, introducing legislation in the first sitting week of the next Parliament.
The coalition’s policy is to amend the laws to ensure that registered organisations and their officials have to play by the same rules as companies and their directors.
Mr Abbott said financial disclosure and reporting guidelines under laws governing registered organisations laws would also be reformed to ensure they they align more closely with those applicable to companies.
