High Court rejects CFMEU appeal

High Court rejects CFMEU appealThe High Court has dismissed an application by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) to appeal the Victorian Government’s building and construction industry guidelines.The CFMEU had argued that it was beyond the executive power of the state to implement the building guidelines. But the High Court rejected the application because the issues raised by the union’s representation were ‘hypothetical’.The Implementation Guidelines for the Victorian Code of Practice for the Building and Construction Industry are intended to improve safety and productivity on Victorian building sites. They were recently amended to include drug and alcohol screenings on all major Victorian Government construction projects.The dismissal follows the Supreme Court’s decision to impose penalties for the CFMEU’s activities against Grocon in 2013, and rejection by the Full Federal Court of the CFMEU’s attempt to disrupt the Bendigo Hospital project.