House debates Questions without Notice
Workplace Relations
Kim Beazley Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:21 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to a question asked by the member for Grayndler on 10 August about Tristar’s refusal to guarantee it would meet its redundancy obligations to its employees covered by a collective agreement. I also refer the Prime Minister to the Tristar employees in the gallery today. Is the Prime Minister aware that Tristar has now applied to terminate the collective agreement, which would see its redundancy obligations massively reduced? What does the Prime Minister say to Marty Peek in the gallery, who has worked for Tristar for 34 years and who stands to lose over $130,000 in redundancy entitlements as a result of Tristar’s actions?
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I remember that a number of questions were asked in August. I would have to check the record as to the precise—
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I don’t pretend to carry in my mind every single question asked through the year. I will conscientiously have a look at the question asked by the member for Grayndler and I will come back and give a more detailed answer. But in the meantime I take the opportunity of saying to the ladies and gentlemen who are in the gallery from that company that, if there is any injustice that has been done to you, that is wrong; and if there are remedies available to do with that injustice, those remedies should be invoked.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I might also say to the ladies and gentlemen from that company in the gallery—
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
Give them the Stan Howard deal!
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member for Brisbane! The Prime Minister has the call and he will be heard.
Arch Bevis Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security
Mr Bevis interjecting
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Brisbane is warned too. The Prime Minister has the call.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I will also take the opportunity of saying to the ladies and gentlemen in the gallery that the government I lead is the first government in Australia’s history to bring in a scheme that guarantees the payment of certain basic entitlements in the event of a company not being able to—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
And I am very proud of that. I also take this opportunity of telling them in relation to redundancy that the government recently announced that it would increase the basic entitlement that would be paid under GEERS where there was a default by the employing company to the community standard of 16 weeks, which was adjudged by the Industrial Relations Commission.
So, whilst those who sit opposite may seek to contrast their position from ours, I remind not only the ladies and gentlemen in the gallery but the Australian people that, when the Labor Party were in office for 13 years, they did not bother to introduce a scheme of this kind. They were prepared to let people lose their redundancies and other things when companies went broke. I am very proud of the fact that we have moved in relation to that.
But in relation to the particular question asked by the Leader of the Opposition, I will refer to the question asked by the member for Grayndler. If there is any further information that I can make available, particularly to the people in the gallery, I will be happy to do so.