On the ABCC bill

John Kotsopoulos writes: Re. “Crossbenchers carve ABCC bill into the biggest protectionist turkey in decades” (yesterday). Bernard Keane, are you seriously criticising these fair and sensible precautions? On any reading they simply protect local industry from the stupidity of a government that was prepared to allow open slather for imports that in many cases would fail standards in their country of origin. Inspecting after the event doesn’t work even now as evidenced did by nationwide concerns over cheap fire prone cladding used in numerous high rise residential buildings. Responsibility for the product standards of imports also becomes so diffused as to be impossible to enforce.