CFMEU inquiry delivers 'urgent and pressing' recommendations

Queensland's CFMEU inquiry commissioner has called for urgent changes in the state's construction industry after hearing "highly disturbing" allegations of union misconduct.

In an interim report made public on Wednesday afternoon, Commissioner Stuart Wood KC recommends the state government introduce a new building code and establish a dedicated regulator to enforce compliance.

Mr Wood was not due to hand down his findings until December next year but said there was an "urgent and pressing" need to implement change following more than 50 days of hearings and evidence from over 80 witnesses.

He said the inquiry had uncovered "disturbing" evidence of CFMEU misconduct and cost blowouts related to the former Labor government's controversial Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPIC) policy, which set pay and conditions on major taxpayer-funded projects.

The commissioner described the BPIC, which has been scrapped by the Crisafulli government, as "damaging".

He found the policy had driven up construction costs by at least 20 per cent on three projects examined by the inquiry — Brisbane's Cross River Rail and the Centenary Bridge upgrade as well as the Gold Coast Light Rail.

"However, I consider the estimate of 20 per cent to be a conservative view," Mr Wood wrote.

"In coming to this view, I am dealing only with the increase in costs caused by the implementation of BPIC, leaving aside for the moment any quantification as to delays caused by BPIC."

At the centre of the commissioner's proposed reforms is a construction code he said would Improve workplace safety, lift productivity and efficiency, ensure compliance with the law and encourage innovation.

Mr Wood said the standards should be "uncontroversial" in an industry in which significant amounts of taxpayer money were at stake.

The Queensland government is yet to respond to the report.