Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to enter the debate today following on from the member for Fisher, who had a lot to say about last week's budget and the Commonwealth Games but did not talk about the intent of this bill and what it will mean. In this year's budget, compared to years past, GDP growth is down, employment growth is down, wages growth is down and 100,000 jobs have simply been washed away. I will take the member for Fisher up on a point about infrastructure. For the largest infrastructure project for Queensland, the No. 1 Infrastructure Australia project, Cross River Rail, not one dollar has been allocated for the people of Queensland. So there are massive amounts of 'pork' going out across Australia but not where it is needed. The member for Fisher, like the bloated LNP in Queensland, is not interested in delivering infrastructure. They want a pat on the back for delivering $7.5 billion worth of infrastructure this year. 'Well done'—said no-one!—because we know that there is a cut in infrastructure spending in Australia.

The member for Fisher, in his prepared notes written by either the minister or the IPA, ran the true lines about what this government thinks of workers in Australia, collective agreements and workers' pay. I will come back to that in a moment. Let us be absolutely clear from the outset: Labor will not stand for corruption in any form and we will support legislation that is properly drafted and applies to both companies and registered organisations. But this bill provides a different test for union officials and employers who work with unions than for politicians and public servants and corrupt activities between businesses.

What I find really interesting is that even though this is part of the Heydon recommendations that were made more than 12 months ago, no action was taken by the government until after the penalty rates decision, without any proper consultation. So, you have to be skeptical about this government's motivations. Let me say that again. The Heydon recommendations were made more than 12 months ago. Despite the urgency, the nonsense we heard from the member for Fisher and his rant to this chamber, nothing has happened under this government's watch. They took no action to respond to any of Dyson Heydon's recommendations—not before the double dissolution election and not after it, not even when this parliament was debating the two antiworker pieces of legislation. That was the justification for the election we had to have. And the Turnbull government did nothing—sat on their hands and did nothing—until they realised that they were on the wrong side entirely when it comes to penalty rates. That is when the action really kicked in. That is why I am very keen to support the amendment moved by the member for Gorton today to the Fair Work Amendment (Corrupting Benefits) Bill.

While the government is happy to see wages of Australians cut—and that is what every single member opposite wants to see happen in Australia, while their priorities are of course now to deliver a $64 billion tax cut to big business, whilst at the same time cutting payments to families, parents, pensioners and job seekers—you have to understand the political motivation by a Prime Minister. When he is faced with the Leader of the Opposition 's private member's bill to preserve the take-home pay and conditions and to protect penalty rates, all of a sudden the urgency comes out that we have to introduce this bill. So, an unpopular penalty rates decision comes down, which, let's face it, everyone on that side of the chamber wants to see happen and has been encouraging, ensuring that we see a real pay cut. Never has it been clearer that when the government has its priorities—laser like, fixated on delivering multimillionaires a tax cut, making sure that big business is looked after—the penalty rates issue is really biting in the community. I am not sure whether those opposite walk in the same shopping aisles and go to the same pubs and clubs as members, say, on this side of the chamber do.

See this speech in context