Phillip Barresi (Deakin, 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 what measures are in place to protect the building and construction industry. Is the minister aware of efforts to undermine these protections?

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 Deakin for his question and recognise that in 1996, when he was elected, the unemployment rate in his electorate was 6.1 per cent; today it is 4.7 per cent, which is fantastic news. That does not happen by accident. It happens because we are prepared to put in place reforms of the Australian economy that help to build prosperity, including workplace reform and accepting the recommendations of the Cole royal commission into the building industry in 2003, which presented a compelling and unassailable need for change. That is why we set up an independent regulator with real teeth, the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Since we set up the ABCC, the watchdog, the number of strikes in the building industry has fallen to record lows. In fact, of every 1,000 working days, the number of days lost to strikes has fallen from 37 days to two days every three months. That makes a real difference because every day lost in the building industry costs the industry $200,000, and on major construction projects that is a very significant sum. Yet the Labor Party wants to abolish the watchdog. The Labor Party is so enamoured of the great work of this watchdog, its reduction in the number of strikes, that the Labor Party wants to abolish this watchdog. If it is working so well, why doesn’t the Labor Party want to keep it?

Well, I too came across the words of Dean Mighell, the boss of the Electrical Trades Union in Victoria. I thought I would get a clearer picture of why the Labor Party wants to abolish the watchdog when I read the transcript of what he said in the Dallas Brooks Hall in 2006. This is what Dean Mighell said: ‘The Australian Building and Construction Commission, their budget this year is $32.9 million and they have 155 employees and probably one of the—expletive—is in this room now monitoring this agreement.’ He goes on to say: ‘The greedy—expletive—and you have to have a look at what they offer at the end of the day is—expletive—and—expletive—agreements—expletive—me. What ability do we have to take protected industrial action anymore? The answer is—expletive—all.’

Of course, Dean Mighell is Labor Party royalty. He has Labor Party candidates running in seats such as Franklin, Bowman and Deakin. The ETU is still affiliated with the Labor Party. Of course, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition gave an address to the ETU conference on 1 May. She did not worry about anything that was said about Dean Mighell before that—just went along and they had a happy greeting. So I was wondering: what is Dean Mighell going to wake up to tomorrow morning; what is going to be the headline? And I thought to myself, as I was listening to the Leader of the Opposition on Sky News, ‘Dean Mighell is going to wake up to an interesting headline: “Union boss quits Labor”.’ That is the headline Dean Mighell is going to see tomorrow morning. It is interesting because Dean Mighell resigned from the Labor Party three years ago! It is like Groundhog Day. Dean Mighell is going to wake up tomorrow morning, the clock radio will click over as it did for Bill Murray. Sonny and Cher will come on with I Got You, Babe and the radio will say:

Okay, campers … don’t forget your booties because it’s COOOLD out there …

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

The Labor Party has form. That is why—

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

Order! The minister has made his point.

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

what the Leader of the Opposition said today is a political trick. It is a political trick because—do you know what?—Dean Mighell resigned from the Labor Party. He resigned because he was upset with the leader of the Labor Party last time and today he resigns again. These people have form. It is hypocrisy. And do you know why Dean Mighell is not upset about leaving the Labor Party? Because the Labor Party policy is still the same. It is still the same. As Dean Mighell said on Sky News only today, ‘I’m not totally fussed about the Labor Party’s policy, quite honestly.’ Well, at least he was being honest. He is not a hypocrite. Do you know why? Because he is not playing the political game that the Leader of the Opposition is playing. Dean Mighell resigned from the Labor Party before, but his union members remain. He is still affiliated, paying affiliation money to the Labor Party. You always have to look at what the Labor Party does, not what it says.