House debates Questions without Notice
Workplace Relations
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations
2:34 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister and it also in part relates to Lateline last night. But I refer the Prime Minister to the comments made by Annette Harris on 25 May, about how she felt when offered the Spotlight 2c an hour AWA.
I thought it was an insult; absolutely disgusting. I voted Liberal all my life, but there’s no way I’d sign up to this.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar, Liberal Party
Mr Speaker, on a point of order: standing order 98 permits questions to be asked at this time of the day. More and more, we are hearing prose readings from the other side. There is no question being asked. They are merely reading other people’s—
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. I ask the member for Perth to come to his question.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations
I also refer the Prime Minister to his remarks to Laurie Oakes on Sunday when he said:
She refused to sign the AWA.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations
I am, Mr Speaker—
So the whole basis of the allegation that has been made is false.
Is the Prime Minister aware of Mrs Harris’s comment on Lateline last night where she said:
No, John, wake up. It hasn’t. It hasn’t blown a hole in their argument at all ... I’m just getting a flat rate.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations
She said:
So I’m behind the eight ball. ... I’m absolutely disgusted with John Howard.
Stephen Smith Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations
Prime Minister, isn’t Mrs Harris right?
Wilson Tuckey O'Connor, Liberal Party
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on that long statement, which is not a question. But, Mr Speaker, 300 jobs have been created during the process of this—
David Hawker Speaker
The member for O’Connor will not debate his point of order.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Mr Speaker, I have a terrible confession to make: I did not watch Lateline last night. I obviously missed all the fun. I will not be able to watch it tonight either—
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Ms Gillard interjecting
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
courtesy of our friends up there. Let me remind the member for Perth that there are 1.8 million reasons in Australia as to why people would always rather trust this government to run the Australian economy than the motley mob opposite.
Alan Cadman Mitchell, Liberal Party
2:37 pm
My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister update the House on improvements in Australian workplaces. Is the minister aware of attempts to undermine this progress?
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
I thank the member for Mitchell for his question and for his interest in creating jobs in Australia. Australia now has a workplace relations system which recognises that employers and employees want to work out the wages and conditions which best suit their needs—
Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury
Ms King interjecting
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
rather than having them imposed upon them by remote industrial tribunals and third parties. Indeed the best workplace arrangements are those which are developed and agreed to by employers and employees alike. Australian workplace agreements, which the Leader of the Opposition and those opposite want to abolish, are an essential part of that workplace relations system and they deliver significant benefits. On average, Australian workplace agreements deliver benefits that are 13 per cent more than those on collective agreements, and very significantly they deliver 100 per cent more than those on—
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Lilley is well aware of standing order 62. He will resume his seat or I will deal with him.
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
I was saying to the chamber that AWAs deliver substantial benefits—13 per cent more, on average, than those on collective agreements and 100 per cent more than those on awards. We have had the Labor Party and their union bosses running around Australia, seeking to highlight instances where, they claim, people are losing benefits as a result of Work Choices.
Jill Hall Shortland, Australian Labor Party
Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. The problem has resolved itself, but I note you sat the member for Lilley down when there were four members on the other side standing.
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Shortland will resume her seat. All members should be well aware of standing order 62. When they come to the chamber they are expected to assume their seats as soon as they arrive, unless they are leaving.
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
We had the member for Perth come into this chamber and claim that workers at Esselte would be worse off because of a proposed AWA, because they would lose Saturday penalty rates. The only problem with this claim is that Esselte does not actually roster workers to work on Saturday.
Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party
Mr Brendan O’Connor interjecting
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
If workers do on occasions work on a Saturday voluntarily, they are paid overtime rates.
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Ms Macklin interjecting
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
If the member for Perth does not understand even this basic point, it is no wonder that some of the union bosses want him stripped of his shadow portfolio.
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Ms Macklin interjecting
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
Before coming into this place and making these claims, did the member for Perth bother to check the facts for himself? No. He simply relied upon the biased and inaccurate information provided to him by the unions. We had another example last week when the Leader of the Opposition came into this place and asked the Prime Minister why a Melbourne grandmother had been sacked with no recourse. The problem is that, at the very time the Leader of the Opposition came in here to ask this question, the union representing the lady in question had already said that it was commencing unlawful termination action on her behalf.
The Leader of the Opposition must have known that yet he chose, as the member for Perth chose, to misrepresent the facts of this case. So what we see here once again is Labor’s pattern of deceit. That is what we are seeing here. The Leader of the Opposition cannot understand that these policies are about creating jobs for Australians. He would not have a sense of that because when he was responsible for employment in this country we had over a million people on dole queues; we had an unemployment rate of 10.9 per cent. The sad reality for the opposition is that the Leader of the Opposition is interested in only one job: his own.
Kim Beazley Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
Mr Speaker, I would ask the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations to table the document from which he is quoting.
David Hawker Speaker
Was the minister quoting from a confidential document?
Kevin Andrews Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
Yes.
Julie Owens Parramatta, Australian Labor Party
2:43 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I again refer the Prime Minister to the comments of Annette Harris on ABC Lateline last night when she said:
No, John, wake up ... If I work a Saturday or a Sunday or a public holiday, I’m behind the eight ball every time I go to work. So you can’t tell me they’ve—
that is, Labor—
got it wrong and I’m absolutely disgusted with John Howard.
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member for Parramatta will come to her question.
Julie Owens Parramatta, Australian Labor Party
Prime Minister, isn’t Mrs Harris right?
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I am sure Mrs Harris is a very nice lady, but I beg to differ with her.