Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, I am happy to be. This is a very serious matter. We have a bill before the House on changing arrangements to registered organisations. I know of no registered organisation that supports the bill. As I said, there was submission after submission by employer bodies and unions opposed to the arrangements. The strongest penalties, the greater accountability and the greater transparency that is now required of those organisations were introduced by the former government, but I want to make it very clear that this is being introduced for political purposes of the government to attack its opponents. That is not the basis upon which you make good policy. I said to the Minister for Employment that we want to see if we can find a common point of agreement on these matters, but I could not reach agreement with the government. I move:

That all the words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"while not declining to give the Bill a second reading, the House notes:

(1) the adverse impact of the creation of the Registered Organisations Commission on registered organisations, including employer bodies and unions;

(2) the fact that the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (the Act) was amended in 2012 to improve disclosure requirements, enhance transparency, require greater accountability and amended to also triple civil penalties for breaches of the Act;

(3) the fact that the Abbott Government's legislative program needs to be viewed as a whole to examine the Government's attempts to return to Workchoices;

(4) the fact that the Government has launched an all-encompassing Productivity Commission review of the Fair Work Act 2009;

(5) the fact the Government is using taxpayers' money to fund a Royal Commission ostensibly to inquire into registered associations recognised under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act, but actually targeting their political opponents; and

(6) the Government's attempt to undermine industrial relations in this country by pitting worker against union, worker against employer and union against employer instead of seeking to create cooperative relationships that improve workplace conditions and productivity at the same time."

(Time expired)

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