Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to place on the record one of the reasons why the federal government’s new industrial relations reforms are so welcome in Western Australia. In an article today in the Australian newspaper, Amanda Banks outlines the case of the CFMEU state secretary, one Mr Joe McDonald, who was before the state Industrial Relations Commission yesterday. Mr McDonald was there before the state Industrial Relations Commission because of his continued intimidatory behaviour on the work sites around Perth and his endeavours to stop work and disrupt people going about their lawful business.

Just let me put this into context. The CFMEU in Perth, quite rightly, calls itself a militant union. Joe McDonald justifies some of his nefarious behaviour by saying, ‘But that’s because we’re a militant union.’ One of the outstanding cases at the moment concerns the southern rail line, which is being built by a consortium of Leighton and Kumagai. The tunnel that is being burrowed through Perth is 146 days late because of industrial tactics used by the CFMEU such as the ‘blue flu’, where people claim to all be sick on the same day. They all call in on the same day and say they are sick, so they essentially go on strike.

The federal government has bailed the state government and Leighton out of this problem because it has put on a lifetime ban in relation to this project so that there can be no more bogus industrial disputation. But before Christmas, even though he was banned on projects coming under the industrial framework of the federal government—and has been for five years—Mr McDonald snuck onto the site dressed as Father Christmas. It was his way of getting onto the site in an illegal way to again either coerce or intimidate workers.

But Mr McDonald was brought before the state Industrial Relations Commission for a different case. He was brought before the court not by a federal body but by the state—by the state Building Industry and Special Projects Inspectorate—to revoke his entry permit. That was because, on a Pindan building site in 2004, Mr McDonald quite improperly climbed aboard one of the cranes on the site and stopped the crane driver from operating the crane. He then threatened the crane driver and said that if he tried to operate his crane he was a marked man. Talk about intimidation and threats!

Mr McDonald has been before the state Industrial Relations Commission a number of times. The first time he was let off. The second time he got a three-month ban. Surprise, surprise, yesterday he was let off again. The industrial relations commissioner, Mr Jack Gregor, said that the case was not proven. The words were that they had failed to prove the case. That is the choice of Industrial Relations Commissioner Gregor.

I often wonder about the structure of the state Industrial Relations Commission. Since the state Labor government has been in power in Western Australia, it has loaded it up with former union heavies such as JJ O’Connor, who has retired recently, and Stephanie Mayman, a state industrial relations officer. Here we have the state industrial relations court, meant to be the umpire on state industrial relations jobs, being loaded up with union hacks placed there by the Labor Party.

One only has to know, for example, that Mr Jack Gregor is quite often seen eating at the Friends restaurant. Clyde Bevan, who runs it, was a former Labor candidate in the seat of Floreat some years ago. There are Gregor, JJ O’Connor and other union luminaries caucusing at the Friends restaurant, and here is Mr Gregor yesterday allowing Joe McDonald, the union thug from Perth, to be exonerated in this case. Where is the justice in these courts when they are loaded up with people who are put there and allowed to do other people’s bidding? It is quite outrageous. No wonder Mr McDonald has a free rein on Perth industrial sites. It is a disgrace and it should be dealt with. That is why the federal laws are dealing with people such as Mr McDonald and his coercive behaviour. (Time expired)