Jackie Kelly (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is quite extraordinary the diatribe that has gone before me, given that 10 years ago we had one monolithic, monopolistic company driving telecommunications in this country. There was no competition whatsoever. There were some bright sparks in the Labor Party who thought, ‘Oh, competition might be good,’ and they allowed competition in, which we have kept going, and in all circumstances have backed other players in this area. And the Labor Party has the hide to come in here and even mention communications! The unions that dominate Telstra and have dominated them for years have kept it uncompetitive. Now I find, with the New South Wales state election this Saturday, Telstra joining the campaign along with the ACTU’s Your Rights At Work campaign. The CFMEU is handing out literature in my electorate, the PSA is handing out material and, look, there is the member for Grayndler handing out literature in my electorate.

The election this Saturday is about the incompetence of this state Labor government. If they had any integrity at all, they would be delivering for the people of New South Wales rather than relying on the unions to run around with a vote 1 campaign and hope that their local candidates with large name recognition may get first past the post, when in a preferential system they would be put last by 50 per cent of New South Wales voters.

Then we have all the local candidates going out trying to explain what they are doing for the electorate on trade schools and after hours GP clinics. This government delivered both. It was our idea. It was my election promise. It took me two years battling the Nepean Hospital to finally find the space. I said, ‘It has to be near emergency.’ ‘Oh, no, we can’t give it near emergency.’ ‘But there is a room available.’ ‘No, you can’t have that room. We need that for something else.’ Do you think the local member, Karen Paluzzano, helped out? I would like to see one letter that that woman wrote in support of the GP clinic for Nepean Hospital prior to inside information she received, which said: ‘Look, quick, we are finally doing this deal with the federal government after two years and two rounds of negotiations. We’re going to do a deal. Quick, Karen, run out there and claim it before the federal member can say anything.’

You have that kind of skulduggery in politics happening. You have a massive union campaign and, now, guess what? Telstra is joining the campaign. Telstra is coming in, thinking it knows a single thing about politics! It had better stick to telecommunications. This government has the wherewithal and the policies to deliver broadband services to Australians; it is not the Labor Party and it is not an uncompetitive Telstra that feels it needs special care from the regulators. There is plenty of other competition in the market that feels that the ACCC’s regulation of the telecommunications industry is valid and robust, and one of the best in the world and enhances competition. Where does Telstra get off?

Not only did the New South Wales government go hand in hand with this union; they are actually helping them. Bernie Riordan, the secretary of the New South Wales branch of the Electrical Trades Union, wrote a letter during an election at a company that was training apprentices. The ETU set up a shopfront outside my office. They are actually running an even bigger campaign. You can read it on their website: ‘Here are the 20 most targeted seats.’ And guess what? The seat of Lindsay happens to be one of them. The New South Wales government leaked to the ETU an entire list of apprentices and their home addresses so Bernie Riordan, their old union mate, could send them a letter saying: ‘Don’t vote for the AWA. We might be worse off.’ I am happy to say that universally the AWAs went through and those apprentices are better off. That does not stop the unions’ misinformation with incredible lies. The Your Rights At Work campaign is complete lies. Our Work Choices works. It has been fantastic in the retail sector. You are seeing extraordinary growth in productivity and you are seeing the ability of employers to stay open for the hours— (Time expired)