Business groups call for union reform

Business and employer groups have backed calls for union reform.

In submissions to the unions royal commission, they have called for standard national laws and toughening up of regulation.

In May, the commission released a discussion paper canvassing options for reform of union governance.

Those submissions were released on Monday. None came from unions.

Much of what the business groups would like appears to be contained in the government's registered organisations bill which is now stalled in the Senate.

Australia's peak industry association, the Australian Industry Group, said there was an overwhelming case for reform.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said regulation of organisations at state and federal levels had the potential to create confusion and complexity.

"It is difficult to see why organisations operating in different states should be subject to differing standards of conduct and regulatory requirements, particularly considering the shift to a largely national based system of workplace relations," it said.

The Housing Industry Association said more effective regulation of registered organisations were warranted to ensure the same community and legal standards which applied to company office holders were extended to officials of trade unions and employer bodies.

Conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs said laws had long existed regulating trade unions but Australia was no longer a small economy with a regulated labour market protected by a fixed exchange rate.

It said registered organisations and their regulatory and judicial bodies were subject to different scrutiny and standards.

"This separate system has clearly created a climate that has led some individuals and organisations to judge their own actions by a separate set of standards," it said.

Master Builders Australia said reform of registered organisations alone would not re-establish the rule of law in the building and construction industry.

It said there was a compelling case for a single set of national laws to regulate unions, overseen by a single regulator with substantial powers.