Labor needs to acknowledge there is corruption in the construction sector and get behind moves to resurrect the industry watchdog, Employment Minister Eric Abetz says.
Senator Abetz says the Australian people want the construction industry cleaned up and corruption weeded out.
But the Greens and Labor allowed the Australian Building and Corruption Commissioner (ABCC) to be dismantled and were using their numbers in the Senate to oppose government legislation to restore it, he said.
"The construction industry has had an unfortunate history of corruption, illegality, thuggery and standover tactics," the minister told AAP.
"That was all exposed by the Cole Royal Commission in a very thorough review about a decade ago."
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A joint ABC and Fairfax Media investigation has found union officials are making corrupt deals to help companies linked to organised crime secure construction contracts.
Senator Abetz says the reports show corruption is still ingrained.
He said Labor had received $6 million from the Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and now needed to explain their objection to restoring the ABCC.
"Given the latest revelations by the ABC and the Fairfax media, the ALP simply simply no longer has any feathers to fly with in opposing the re-establishment of the ABCC," he said.
"The national interest should come first and that demands the re-establishment of the ABCC."
