Wilhelm Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer of Master Builders Australia said the exposure draft must be scrapped entirely and any new version of the legislation must be created with full consultation and scrutiny by key stakeholders and business.

"The current Bill encroached on people’s basic rights such as free speech and it was particularly difficult for businesses to work with.

"It was poorly expressed and could have led to an increase in disputes in the building and construction industry because it was widely open to interpretation.

"The Bill also created significant compliance implications for business because it created a new definition of discrimination and reversed the burden of proof during the complaints process.

"The estimated cost for the building and construction industry to update policies and train staff in order to comply with the Bill if it was implemented was $600 million.

"Master Builders is pleased common sense prevailed.

"Master Builders broadly supports efforts to consolidate and simplify five discrimination Acts into one. However, it is imperative should a new draft Bill be contemplated, the Attorney-General actively engages with industry in developing provisions which properly balances protection for workers from discrimination and recognises the compliance burden on business," Mr Harnisch said.