The Commissioner of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, Mr Nigel Hadgkiss APM, has been forced to resign after confirming he had fallen foul of the Fair Work Act by not reading legislation and ignoring staff concerns.
The Minister for Employment, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, announced on Wednesday that Mr Hadgkiss had tendered his resignation and that it had been accepted by the Government.
Mr Hadgkiss faces a civil penalty hearing in the Federal Court after the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) took legal action that led to his admissions.
Under the spotlight in Question Time during the week, the Employment Minister was forced to confirm she first became aware of the conduct by Mr Hadgkiss in October last year, 11 months before his admissions in court on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Minister said “Mr Hadgkiss has played a pivotal role in restoring the rule of law to Australia’s building and construction industry, despite relentless opposition and appalling intimidation from lawless construction unions and their political supporters”.
