In an agreed statement of facts tendered to the Federal Court on Tuesday,Mr Hadgkiss admitted that,in December 2013,he directed his agency to not publish changes to right-of-entry laws that were of benefit to unions.
He said he believed the laws passed by the former Labor government would be repealed by the new Coalition government and therefore did not need to be published. However,the laws were not repealed as he had expected. He admitted to not reading Labor's amendments and based his understanding of their"gist"on media reports.
He is now facing thousands of dollars in penalties as a result of Federal Court action brought by the Construction,Forestry,Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). He will serve a two-week transition period while he hands his responsibilities to an acting commissioner.
"The government thanks Mr Hadgkiss for his service and wishes him well in his future endeavours,"Senator Cash 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."