Australian unions have welcomed the defeat of a bill they say would have curtailed the rights of construction workers.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's efforts to revive a construction industry watchdog decried by critics as anti-union was thwarted in a tight parliamentary vote Monday.

The Senate in Canberra was tied 33-33 on a bill that would have reintroduced the controversial Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). The tie meant the bill failed. The reestablishment of the ABCC was expected to be the cornerstone of Abbott's industrial relations policy, and was supported by business groups but opposed by labor unions.

Australia's main construction workers' union, the CFMEU, welcomed the defeat of the bill.

“We call on the Abbott Government to abandon its divisive and biased approach and work in the interests of the workers and businesses who make a living in the construction industry,” said CFMEU Construction Secretary Dave Noonan.

The CFMEU was one of the main targets of the ABCC.

The Senate vote was condemned by the construction industry group, the Australian Mines and Metals Association.

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