Master Builders Australia has asked the Federal Government to reconsider its proposed Secure Australian Jobs Framework, warning in a submission dated 21 October 2026 that it would add “unnecessary costs, red tape and uncertainty for businesses tendering for government work”.
The submission went to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, which is running the policy. Master Builders published a summary of its position along with the full submission document.
The builders’ body isn’t only asking for a rethink. If the framework proceeds anyway, it wants the construction industry exemption the government has already promised to be “protected in legislation” and applied across “the full construction supply chain, including the Commonwealth Supplier Code of Conduct, tender requirements and contracts”.
A promise and a provision aren’t the same thing
That second ask is the one worth reading twice. An exemption announced as policy can be redrafted, narrowed or quietly dropped. An exemption sitting in legislation has to be amended to go away.
Tender and delivery cycles also run longer than policy cycles. A builder pricing a Commonwealth job this year could still be on site when the procurement rules around it have moved on, which is the practical argument for locking the carve-out down in black and white rather than in a media release.
Where the paperwork actually lands
Procurement conditions rarely stop at the head contract. They flow down through subcontract terms, and that’s where a small formwork, electrical or plumbing outfit with no compliance manager starts filling in forms it has never seen before.
Master Builders’ request that any exemption reach the Supplier Code of Conduct, the tender requirements and the contracts themselves is aimed squarely at that problem. Cover the head contractor only and the obligations still arrive at the subbie’s door, just with an extra layer of paperwork between them.
Commonwealth building work covers a wide spread, from departmental office fitouts to major infrastructure, so the reach of any new tendering condition is broad rather than niche.
What the submission doesn’t say
The published summary doesn’t spell out what the framework would require of bidders, and there’s no dollar figure attached to the compliance cost in the material Master Builders put on its site. If you tender for federal work, the full submission is the document to read, not the summary.
What to watch
Two things. First, whether the construction exemption turns up in anything binding, or stays a commitment. Second, your own tender inbox: procurement changes almost always show up as new clauses in a request for tender before anyone writes a news story about them.
If you’re bidding Commonwealth work in the next twelve months, it’s worth having whoever prices your tenders flag any new conditions of participation early, while there’s still time to load the cost into the number rather than wear it after signing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Secure Australian Jobs Framework?
It’s a federal policy, run by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, that would set new conditions for businesses tendering for government work. Master Builders Australia says it would add unnecessary costs, red tape and uncertainty for Commonwealth bidders.
Has the construction industry been given an exemption?
The government has promised one, but it isn’t yet written into legislation. Master Builders wants that exemption locked into law rather than left as a policy commitment that could be redrafted or dropped.
Would the exemption cover subcontractors, not just head contractors?
Master Builders is asking for the exemption to apply across the full construction supply chain, including the Commonwealth Supplier Code of Conduct, tender requirements and contracts, not just the head contract.
What should builders bidding on Commonwealth work do now?
Have whoever prices your tenders watch for new conditions of participation appearing in request-for-tender clauses, so any extra cost can be loaded into the price rather than worn after signing.
Sourced from Master Builders Australia. Original article.
