In a significant win for Malcolm Turnbull and in the final week of Parliament for the year, the senate has passed legislation that will re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

The bill was one of the triggers for the 2 July double-dissolution election, and a key plank of Turnbull's election campaign.

The senate voted by 36 votes to 33 to pass the bill, after several concessions were made across the political spectrum.

Nick Xenophon and his party gave the green light to the bill after securing changes that would elevate the importance of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Derryn Hinch also secured concessions to the government’s procurement processes.

Concessions were also made to Labor, One Nation and the Greens over employees using 457 visas on construction sites.

Ken Morrison, Chief Executive of the Property Council, said the passage of legislation to re-establish the ABCC is good news for the property industry.

“The Australian Building and Construction Commission is a proven economic reform”, he said.

“The passage of this legislation is good news for the industry, for the economy, and for the workers who have suffered from bullying and intimidation on construction sites," Morrison said.

“The Royal Commission told everyone what we already knew – that we have a major problem of union lawlessness in the construction sector. Two thirds of all industrial disputes are in the construction sector and disputes are at the highest levels in six years.

“The last time we had an ABCC, our members reported productivity improvements of between 10 to 20 per cent. We can expect productivity improvements again.

“The 2016 Double Dissolution was based on the need to return the ABCC and it is good to see that the people’s will has prevailed."

"The Government must move with all urgency to get the Commission established and underway,” Morrison concluded.

See also:

Industrial disputes spike shows need for ABCC

ABCC legislation will provide productivity boost

Reinstating the ABCC isn't the answer