The Liberal National Government has welcomed a report urging the Western Australian Government to adopt key recommendations to ensure subcontractors working in the state’s construction industry feel more confident about being paid on time.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews welcomed the report from John Fiocco, which recognises the need for greater national consistency and urges WA to implement recommendations of the Liberal National Government’s Review of Security of Payment Laws.

“This is a significant win for Western Australian subcontractors who have been calling for access to the same rights and protections under security of payment laws as their eastern-state counterparts,” Minister Andrews said.

“Getting paid on time is fundamental to the many subcontractors that make up our construction industry and the Fiocco Report recommends Western Australia’s security of payment laws be made consistent with the ‘East Coast model’, which is based on NSW legislation.

“Current Western Australian and Northern Territory security of payment regimes have been fundamentally different to those in the rest of the country, to the detriment of subcontractors.”

Conducted by John Murray AM, the national review made 86 recommendations to improve protections for small businesses and address the high insolvency rates in the construction industry.

“The Murray Review provides a blueprint to improve protections and consistency in security of payment regimes across the country and I encourage other jurisdictions to follow the lead of Western Australia and NSW in adopting its recommendations,” Minister Andrews said.

The WA Government has announced it will carefully consider each recommendation of the Fiocco Report, and expects to introduce legislative reforms in the first half of 2019.

The NSW Government recently moved to adopt a number of Mr Murray’s recommendations, passing legislation through the NSW Parliament in November.

The Liberal National Government will continue to work with all jurisdictions through the Building Ministers’ Forum to respond to the Murray Review and deliver improvements in performance and consistency of security of payment regimes.

Media contact: Minister Andrews' office 02 6277 7070