Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. It has two components, I guess, one with respect to the foreign ownership of assets and the first component with respect to the workplace relations issue of the outsourcing decision that Qantas has made. Perhaps I will deal with the second of those issues first. Obviously the government shares community concerns around the way in which Australian assets are owned or not owned by foreign governments. I think it's fair to say that, with the government having recognised those community concerns about the foreign ownership of certain Australian assets like mines, sugar mills and other matters that you raised, there has never been a stronger foreign investment review framework, in the history of this country, than the one instituted and operated by this government. So we recognise those issues, but I think it is fair to say that this side of the House, this government, has instituted the strongest possible framework around those very difficult decisions.

Dealing with your first issue, and touching on difficult decisions, it's obviously the case that every single member of this House is extremely sympathetic not merely to people who have lost their jobs or have fewer hours but to those people who have been the subject of commercial decisions like the one that you've raised, which must be intensely difficult also for the people who are making them. I know that the issue of Qantas's outsourcing has been the subject of questions from the opposition and, obviously, from you, Member. I think it was Richard Branson who said that the simplest way to become a millionaire is to start with $1 billion and buy an airline. The history of airlines continentally and transcontinentally, in America, Australia and Europe, is that they are intensely difficult organisations to run. Dare I say, there is probably a good reason, Member, that you're not running one or I'm not running one or the Leader of the Opposition isn't running one: we wouldn't do it very well. Qantas has made an intensely difficult decision—

Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting—

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