Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today during question time the Treasurer was asked a question by the shadow Treasurer about the productivity performance of this nation. As you would no doubt recall, the last thing the Treasurer actually wanted to talk about was the productivity performance of this nation. I can understand why the Treasurer would rather say anything or do anything than answer in a straightforward fashion a question about this nation’s productivity because, if he were to answer that question in a straightforward fashion, he would have to admit that the productivity record of this country under the Howard government is a track record of failure.

As we know, this government frequently comes into this chamber and makes all sorts of assertions about productivity and about its connection with its extreme industrial relations laws. But what we know from the facts is that productivity under this government is in deeply concerning territory. Indeed, for the first six months following the commencement of this government’s extreme industrial relations laws, productivity in this nation went backwards. It is presently at a staggeringly low 1.5 per cent compared to an historical average of 2.3 per cent, and the very budget papers the Treasurer launched with such a flourish last night confirm that productivity will plummet again from the end of the next financial year.

I can well understand that the Treasurer would rather stand at the dispatch box conjuring up any form of distraction than answer in a straightforward way a question about productivity—because he has no answer. In the course of the Treasurer clutching for distractions at the dispatch box today, he made the following statement. He was talking about Labor’s industrial relations policy. He preferred to talk about that than deal with productivity issues, and he said in the course of talking about the policy:

The people who think that include Sir Rod Eddington, the Labor Party adviser in relation to industrial relations, the person the Deputy Leader of the Opposition dismissively refers to as ‘another voice’—

At that stage I responded—and I do apologise to you, Mr Speaker, for interjecting on that occasion—by interjecting, ‘Not true!’ The Treasurer’s statement is not true in two respects. Firstly, I object to the way in which the Treasurer has described Sir Rod Eddington. Of course, Sir Rod Eddington is a noted member of Australia’s business community with a formidable history in Australian business. He is a former British Airways chief executive who now sits on boards including Rio Tinto and News Corporation. He was appointed by the Labor leader Mr Rudd in February as the chair of Labor’s business advisory panel. I believe the way in which the Treasurer described Sir Rod Eddington today was inappropriate in this House. Beyond that, the Treasurer today suggested in his answer, avoiding the question about productivity, that I had dismissively referred to Sir Rod Eddington. That is completely untrue. The newspaper article that the Treasurer tabled to try to prove his spurious claims quotes me in the following terms:

Last night, however, Ms Gillard said it would be “very unfair in any way to say I was dismissive” of Sir Rod’s contribution to Labor policy.

I did object to that; I do object to that. Mr Rod Eddington is an important person in the business community, he is an important adviser for Labor, I value the discussions I have had with him, I look forward to more discussions with him and I think it is inappropriate that the Treasurer made remarks in those terms in the parliament today.

But it is not candour that we expect from the Howard government when we stand in this parliament. We do not get it, we do not see it on matters like this and we do not see it on matters of public policy in this nation. One of the areas in which the least candour is shown is industrial relations, where this government is now pretending that it has a new policy which would make a difference to Australian families. (Time expired)