Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party, Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

You know what, Deputy Speaker? I have to give it to the shadow Treasurer: his heart was almost in that. We see him in this chamber normally, at his best, yelling and screaming. At times, and I don't know how he does it, he gets very red—although, having seen him on the treadmill this morning, I now know! What I would say to all Australians is that the Fair Work Commission is a body set up by the Labor Party and staffed by the Labor Party. It was charged with independently four-yearly reviewing modern awards at the behest of the now Leader of the Opposition, who, when they changed penalty rates for some awards in 2010, whilst in government, made no reference to the quality of that commission or the need for it to be changed. When, in some restaurant awards in 2014, Sunday penalty rates were reduced from 200 per cent to 150 per cent, Brendan O'Connor, the shadow minister responsible at the time, said:

We've always said that employment conditions should be considered properly and should be considered by the Fair Work Commission. People should submit reasons why you should seek to make changes to the employment conditions of Australia.

The reason that the shadow Treasurer's heart isn't in it is that he is a member of the once-proud New South Wales Right of the Labor Party. Members of that party historically must be rolling their eyes today. I don't know if you like The Rocky Horror Picture ShowI do; I'm a particular fan.

Mr Husic interjecting—

The member for Chifley is one step ahead of me. We are stuck in a time warp. We've had the jump to the left, and the shadow Treasurer cannot get in a step to the right. He cannot get in a step to the right. This is the biggest hoax of all time in a campaign by the union movement, who are the puppeteers of those opposite. The shadow Treasurer, in his defence, is being dragged there. He's not a willing marionette, but—I tell you what—the opposition leader and the shadow minister are.

It's not hard to see, when you look at time lines. We've heard. What are the issues? Penalty rates and casualisation of the workforce. Penalty rates I've spoken about. They talk about them when it suits them. Why? Because the union movement isn't happy with the committee, independent of government, which they set up, dealing with unions at the time in 2007, and launched in 2009.

Casualisation—where did this thought bubble come from? Twenty-five per cent is the rate of casualisation today in the workforce, the same as it was two decades ago, but the Labor Party will have you believe it's a problem. No.

An opposition member: What about labour hire?

'Labour hire,' the member from South Australia yells out. It is two per cent, the same as it was 10 years ago. Independent contractors are nine per cent—again, another pet thing of the union movement—the same rate as it was 10 years ago. Where did this come from? You start to see a trend here.

On 28 July last year, Sally McManus urged the ALP to support amendments to the National Employment Standards to provide greater protection for casuals, including the right to request permanent part-time status. Lo and behold, six days later, on 4 August, Brendan O'Connor, the shadow minister, said:

It's about recognizing that the labour market today does not look anything like the labour market of 30 years ago …

Brendan, bad news: it does. It looks identical. But there we go; Labor Party adopting.

Then, on 26 December, we get Sally McManus saying:

The issue of casualisation, the casualisation of jobs, is going to be a key focus of the whole trade union movement next year in 2018.

On 26 December—the same day this time—the member for Gorton said:

We are examining the conversion. We do believe employers get an opportunity to employ people and see if that works in their workplace, we accept that.

Casual work is the backbone for this economy for the people that need it. It gives them the flexibility.

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