NECA Commends Senator Pocock’s Renewed Commitment to Subcontractor Payment Protections

The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) welcomes and strongly supports Senator David Pocock’s recently reannounced commitment to construction sector reform and the protection of subcontractors from the crippling effects of insolvency.

Senator Pocock has again highlighted a principle that NECA and our members have long upheld: if you do the work, you should get paid.

In a statement released this week, the Senator reiterated his strong support for legislative reform to ensure subcontractors are no longer left out of pocket when major builders collapse. 

NECA has worked closely with Senator Pocock since his election and commends his leadership in driving the Albanese Government’s long-awaited response to the 2017 Murray Review into Security of Payment. That report, commissioned by the former Coalition Government, had sat idle for years while insolvencies across the construction industry soared to record highs.

In March 2025, the Government released a draft blueprint for reform, due in large part to Senator Pocock’s advocacy. However, as he rightly points out, the job is not done.

One of the Murray Review’s cornerstone recommendations—statutory trusts to protect subcontractor payments—was excluded from the Government’s reform agenda. This omission leaves small businesses and tradespeople dangerously exposed and undermines the entire effort to establish a fair and accountable system of payment.

NECA supports Senator Pocock’s continued push for the implementation of statutory trusts and broader protections for subcontractors. The current system, where larger firms too often rely on subcontractors’ money to prop up their own cash flow, must end.

We thank Senator Pocock for his steadfast commitment and look forward to continuing our constructive engagement to ensure subcontractors are paid in full, on time, every time.