Danna Vale (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister inform the House how the government’s workplace relations reforms have strengthened the economy and assisted families?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hughes for her question and note that the unemployment rate in the great electorate of Hughes is now down to 3.1 per cent. Once upon a time they said five per cent was full employment, but in the electorate of Hughes it is 3.1 per cent. It would not have happened under David Hill.

Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Or Robert Tickner.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is right—a few of them. One of the reasons for that is that this government believe in helping families and we want to encourage women in particular to enter the workplace and to give them the choice of either staying at home with their families or, on occasions, going into the workplace. Since we were elected to government in 1996, one million more women have entered the workplace in Australia. There has been a 35 per cent increase in part-time work, participation rates are at all-time highs and the pay gap between men and women has narrowed. So we are getting to a better position in relation to the pay gap. In fact, the World Economic Forum’s Global gender gap report 2006 described Australia as a leader in closing the gender gap.

This is all in addition to our other initiatives in which we have doubled the number of childcare places, introduced and extended the family tax benefit, introduced the baby bonus, introduced the childcare benefit and provided up to $4,000 in tax deductibility for child care, helping to provide choice for Australian families.

The interesting thing is that under the Labor Party between 1993 and 1996—and note that their workplace changes were made in 1993 by Laurie Brereton and Paul Keating—the last three years of Labor, the wages gap between men and women grew; and it has narrowed under the coalition. That is what happens when you have a centralised system. That is what happens when you have an inflexible workplace system that does not take into account the aspirations of women. The Labor Party now want to return to that system. I note that Greg Combet yesterday sank to a new low when he wheeled out research—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Integration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order under standing order 104: there was nothing in the question about alternative policies.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is answering the question and he is in order.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I noted the research yesterday from Professor David Peetz. He is cited by the trade union movement as an independent authority on our workplace laws. Aside from the fact that Professor Peetz’s analysis was fundamentally flawed, and aside from the fact that he used outdated information and his report lacked academic integrity—

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Homeland Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, shoot the messenger!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I question why someone who claims to be independent would put their name to this report. I looked into Professor Peetz’s history and found that he has—

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Homeland Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Bevis interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Brisbane is warned!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a rich level of experience. He worked for Gough Whitlam when Gough was Prime Minister—not that there is anything wrong with that; I think there is a presenter of The 7.30 Report who worked for Gough Whitlam—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has the call.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 2001 he undertook an economic study, sponsored by the ACTU, on the work of union officials. His curriculum vitae lists his research interests as ‘union membership’ and he has been reported as being a singer in the trade union choir. This is the ‘independent analyst’. But, wait, there is more. Professor Peetz, the independent expert, writes poetry for the Workers Online website, the official organ of Unions NSW, where they describe him as the ‘resident bard’.

On a more serious note, on 17 September 2001, six days after the terrible terrorist attack in New York, he wrote a poem which included a verse about a terrorist telling the President:

Yes, evil will be overcome by good, but Sir, you see

I know you are the evil one, and good is on my side!

This is a terrorist telling the President of the United States that he is evil and that good is on the side of the terrorist. This is the independent expert. He goes on to say:

You are the force of Satan.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, as fond as I am of the New South Wales Left, I raise a point of order under standing order 104.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is answering the question.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It comes back to the point that you have to judge people not by what they say but by what they do. The coalition has been about helping Australian families in the workplace, through the tax system and with family benefits. The Labor Party is about getting these concocted reports put together by flawed academics and parading them as a new paradigm for women in the workplace. The coalition is about getting more women into work if they choose to do so, providing them with better pay and better opportunities and helping Australian families.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members are holding up their own question time.