A grieving Riverina mother says she is still waiting for Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to make good on his commitment to her dead son.
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According to Kay Catanzariti, Mr Joyce said he would help get a senate inquiry into building deaths underway before the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) bill was sent to the parliament again.
The company Ben Catanzariti worked for avoided hefty fines and jail time over his death in 2012. The Griffith-born 21-year-old was killed when a 39-metre concrete pouring boom collapsed on top of him at a Canberra building site.
On April 18 this year, Mrs Catanzariti and fellow grieving parent Michael Garrels met with Mr Joyce and Shadow Workplace Minister Brendan O’Connor in Canberra to push for an inquiry.
Both parents claimed Mr Joyce said he would help.
In an email to one of the parents on April 22, one of Mr Joyce’s advisers referred to advice given to them during the meeting.
“As advised by the Deputy Prime Minister… your next steps would be to prepare your case for why a Senate inquiry is required and what the Senate would inquire into and circulate it to relevant Senators,” he wrote.
“If you are having issues getting a response from a Senator’s office please let us know and we will follow it up.
“Let me know how you get along.”
The Daily Advertiser has attempted to contact Mr Joyce several times to clarify what was said at the meeting, but no response has been forthcoming.
Mrs Catanzariti’s claims are far from the only controversy drawn by the ABCC bill.
If you are having issues getting a response from a senator’s office please let us know and we will follow it up.
- Adviser to Barnaby Joyce
Rejection of the union-busting bill in April gave Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull a trigger for his July 2 double dissolution election, which saw the government returned with only a slim majority.
Last week, the embattled Prime Minister was put on the defence after claims emerged the government was prepared to ‘horse-trade’ the bill with senator David Leyonhjelm, who wanted an end to an import ban on the seven-shot Adler shotgun.
While there is uncertainty about the bill’s fate, the timeline is clear. The ABCC bill passed the House of Representatives on October 18. An inquiry into building deaths has not yet been held.
Stephen Mudd
Stephen Mudd is a journalist for Fairfax Media west of the great divide. He loves music, dogs and travel.
Stephen Mudd is a journalist for Fairfax Media west of the great divide. He loves music, dogs and travel.
