Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have read what one might term the pious amendment proposed by the member for Brisbane. I have listened to his speech and I understand he may have some amendments in the consideration in detail stage. I wonder when he has ever talked, for instance, to his Labor colleagues in New South Wales, who of course legislated to prevent adequate video surveillance in Sydney airport’s baggage area, particularly in the Qantas international area. After all, what was the area of concern? The area of concern was that some trade unionist who was rifling through someone’s bag might get caught. That was the dominant requirement of the New South Wales government. They will shortly have an election, and one wonders whether we are going to debate that issue. But when you want to lecture this government you should have some explanation of the activities of your own colleagues who occupy government in our states with a very significant responsibility for the activities of transport and its security—after all, I still think they employ their local police forces. Some doubt what their benefit might be.

It was interesting to hear the member for Brisbane make the point that some people got into the wrong part of Sydney airport, having come in from Wagga Wagga. He said that, when the authorities recognised this problem, they did something about it. So that is an issue. The system worked. We will never gain perfection in the management of the thousands of people who participate in air travel every day but, on this occasion, belatedly, the authorities recognised what had happened. They inconvenienced a lot of people by sending them outside and making them come through again, but they addressed the problem.

What has become so significant in this place—and the member for Brisbane is a participant in this—is that the opposition constantly puts political opportunity above the safety of the people. The Labor Party recently got a large colour photocopier at the expense of the taxpayer—and they abused the privileges of this House yesterday; I note the Speaker is eventually going to make some response to those sorts of activities—and the member for Brisbane came into this place with photographs purporting to be some door that was not locked. Why, on the first occasion he was informed about that, did he not take it to the minister and see that the door was locked? Because, in the time he waited to come in here and perform his little political exercise, all the things he has told this House about could have happened.

We get it day after day: people standing up with the hard luck story—usually false—about some individual who is being mistreated under recent laws brought to this House by the government. But if there is a true and real problem and someone is being exploited in the workforce why not go and get it fixed? Mr Deputy Speaker, you, the two senior members of parliament sitting at the table and I are required every day to represent the problems and the rights of our constituents—and we do it. And we do not ask them how they voted at the last election. But the policy that seems to be so apparent on the opposition’s side of the House is: ‘Oh well, you know, if the poor lady hasn’t been able to get to the hospital for a month and she has pain and suffering, it is better that I take advantage of it in this place.’

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