ABCC has new acting commissioner

Cathy Cato has commenced in the role of acting Australian Building and Construction Commissioner after the recent resignation of Nigel Hadgkiss.

Prior to her appointment as acting commissioner, Cathy was deputy commissioner Operations and Code at the ABCC, and a lawyer for more than 20 years.

Her other recent roles include national manager building code at the ABCC and its predecessor agency and director of the Victorian Construction Code Compliance Unit. In this role, deputy commissioners Anthony Southall QC and Cliff Pettit will assist Cathy in her role as acting commissioner.

In a statement the ABCC say they will continue their work to promote an improved workplace relations framework to ensure that building work is carried out fairly, efficiently and productively for the benefit of all building industry participants, without distinction, and for the benefit of the Australian economy as a whole.

They go on to say that as well as closely monitoring compliance with the Building Codes and providing education, assistance and advice to building industry participants, the ABCC will build on its successes in matters before the courts, which have seen more than $14 million in penalties awarded in matters brought by the ABCC and its predecessor agencies.

Image sourced from Flickr cc: Blue Mountains Library