Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too look forward to making my contribution to the Fair Work Amendment (Penalty Rates Exemption for Small Businesses) Bill 2015. I must commend Senator Rhiannon's contribution because it was very well put. The sad part is that this bill is a real crock, unfortunately. It just shows that side of the parliament's absolute hatred. People have to understand that there is an absolute hatred on that side of the chamber to organised labour. It is as simple as that. They cannot stand the thought of organised labour. The free marketeers over there would love to rip, tear and do whatever they want to do. They think: 'Occupational health and safety—we will worry about that if we get caught.' As long their conditions are not touched, as long as their earnings are not touched and as long as their mates who contribute to them are doing all right, then that is okay.

Madam Acting Deputy President Lines, I feel proud to be in the chamber today with your good self, Senator Cameron and Senator Bilyk. We have all actually come through the ranks. We actually know the meaning of a hard day's work and a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. If I may say this—I cannot think of another saying—we have all come through with 'dirt under our fingernails'. The four of us who are here at the moment, and most of us on this side of the chamber, did not snivel our way through university and fall into a senator's office or a minister's office at the tender age of 21 or 22 and think: 'I want to be a senator.' We have actually earned our stripes. We have actually worked hard.

We know what it is like to have a man or a woman in our office. I am the old truckie here in the room. Truck drivers are predominantly male. There is nothing worse than having a man who stands six-odd feet, who is covered in tattoos and could eat nails at a party, break down in tears when he loses his job. He is sitting in your office on a Friday afternoon, after he has been touched on the shoulder and told: 'See you mate. You may be 55 or 60 but we've got no room for you anymore.'

Most of that side over there, those who are born with a silver spoon in their gob, do not really get it. They do not see the point here. They want to talk shares. They like to go to a footy match and sit in the boxes with their corporate mates who donate. They do not see the horrible end. They do not see someone who has been backed over by a forklift at four or five o'clock in the morning or your experience, Madam Acting Deputy President Lines, representing some of the lowest paid workers. This is another ideological blue from that side over there.

As other speakers have touched on, the bill should be just chucked in the bin, quite frankly. It is a good week to do it because most of the stupid promises made to mates in business were made by the previous Prime Minister and he is not a worry anymore. But, do not worry, there are plenty of spear chuckers who will fill his shoes to run the lines: 'We have to get out there and break down organised labour. At every opportunity we must demean the unions.'

Here is a classic example—and I am not using a prop; I just want to use the paper. I am quite proud to say that I never read The Daily Telegraph; however, today I have because something was brought to my attention. This is typical of this rag owned by Murdoch. He is their mate; he is a supporter of those opposite. If anyone wants to be the Prime Minister they have to get on the right side of Murdoch. If they make sure they are on his side then they will get the tick and be off and racing and the paper will run all the stuff. It is not happening with Mr Turnbull at the moment because Mr Murdoch is still in love with the previous Prime Minister, who has gone missing.

The paper attacks the CFMEU. I put out there that the CFMEU are my mates, make no mistake about that. Last week I was proudly with Dave Noonan, Michael O'Connor and another 100 CFMEU delegates at their national conference. It was a great honour. I was with real people. I have tell you that I was so much happier sitting in that room talking to good people than I am looking at that mob on that side of the chamber, like I do during my normal working days, four days a week.

The CFMEU, other unions, I and others in this building are very concerned about the ChAFTA. I know that it is not part of this bill, but it all fills into where this lot over there want to go. For those who do not know, two weeks ago it was called the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and last week it fell into the Chinese—do not worry about import—export agreement. I do not know what shape it has taken this week. The CFMEU have made very clear to us the dangers of following that mob blindly with the current China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and the nasties that are in it.

Obviously, they are fans of the assistant minister for immigration, Senator Cash, because she has made a comment here in the paper. I would say he is a young reporter. His name is Daniel Meers. If you are listening, Danny, come and see me if you are up here—I am in room 6.1.39—or give me a buzz. He has been given the job by the boss of the paper to attack the CFMEU. The heading is 'CFMEU’s anti-China campaign hypocrisy'. I will tell you what it is all about. They have a picture of a CFMEU cap that has been made in China. Daniel Meers has said:

THE CFMEU’S campaign against the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement has been exposed as hypocritical with revelations merchandise sold by the militant union is made in China.

Well golly! Then it goes on to say:

The Daily Telegraph can reveal multiple items of supporter merchandise branded with CFMEU logos, which were worn during street protests against the Chinese deal, have been made in that country.

Well whoopee! Fantastic! Daniel Meers—sorry, mate, you are not heading for a gong, but I will give you a gong. I will help you out.

I have said this a lot of times, but I have to remind that lot over there. For the last 10 years I have sat on the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee. For eight years I have chaired it, either the legislation committee when we were in government or the references committee when we are in opposition. One of the biggest inquiries we had was with full-blown anger that was driven by that side. It was not you, Senator Canavan, because you were not here then, but you were in Senator Joyce's office so I reckon you did the wording. We had to have an inquiry into the bogeys coming down from China and buying up all our farmland.