Jason Wood (La Trobe, 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 laws are helping employers create more jobs? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies and what impact they would have on employment?

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 La Trobe for his question. I recognise he is a great local member, someone with real-life experience as a former senior policeman. It was this government that removed the burden of Labor’s unfair dismissal laws on small business. The result of that is that, since we removed the unfair dismissal laws on small business, 387,000 new jobs have been created, 84 per cent of them full time. Why has this occurred? It is because now small business has the courage to go out and employ people with no employment history. That is why the number of people who are long-term unemployed has dropped to record low levels in Australia. That is why youth unemployment has dropped to low levels in Australia. The OECD found that restrictive and punitive laws, such as the unfair dismissal laws, act as a disincentive for employers to take on more staff and disadvantage those most disadvantaged. Of course, the Labor Party has a rather complicated policy in relation to the unfair dismissal laws.

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

Not compared to yours!

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition interjects. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition was asked by David Spears on Sky News yesterday about the application of the unfair dismissal laws to Cassie Whitehill in Tasmania, and she did not understand her own laws. What a surprise! They want to abolish our laws, but they do not even understand their own. Of course, whether the laws are in or the laws are out, they do not apply to the Labor Party and they do not apply to the unions. That is why, when we heard about the case of Cassie Whitehill, who was sacked the day before Christmas by the President of the Australian Services Union in Tasmania—who also happens to be the President of the Labor Party in Tasmania—the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition did not lift a finger. But we hear today that Kevin Harkins has been sacked.

Government Member:

Unfair dismissal!

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

We do not know if it is unfair dismissal, but what we do know is that on the following dates the Leader of the Opposition backed Kevin Harkins as the candidate for Franklin. He backed him on 22 and 24 June and on 19 and 20 July. On 23 July the Leader of the Opposition said this about Mr Harkins:

Well, Mr Harkins is the candidate for the Australian Labor Party and I have seen nothing to date which would require me to cause any change in that position. As I said, the matters which we are dealing with here are civil matters. And we really need to start rocking and rolling.

‘We really need to start rocking and rolling’—I am not quite sure what that means; it is a Kevinism. On 24 July the Leader of the Opposition backed Harkins as well. So what changed?

Government Members:

Harry! Harry! Harry!

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

Is it the scalp that sits on the belt of the member for Franklin? No. Was it only last week that I went down to Franklin and campaigned for Vanessa Goodwin and there were all these endorsements from the Leader of the Opposition of his candidate in Franklin? And yet yesterday we saw a report in the Mercury under the headline ‘Jettison Harkins push’. It said:

… despite offers of an elevated union position, increased salary and a future Senate seat, Mr Harkins is determined not to quit voluntarily.

This was yesterday. So what happened in the last 24 hours? These are the questions that the Leader of the Opposition has to answer. He has lost his candidate in Franklin and he has not explained to anyone why. Why has he lost his candidate in Franklin? That was a candidate that he has supported on numerous occasions. That was a candidate endorsed by the Labor Party. And yet, as soon as a report comes out of possible inducements, even perhaps bribery, in relation to the candidate in Franklin—that he has been bought off, that he might end up at a later time in the Senate as a representative for Tasmania from the Labor Party—all of a sudden Harkins resigns.

There was no explanation from Sean Kelly, the President of the Labor Party in Tasmania, and no explanation from the Leader of the Opposition. Do you know why, Mr Speaker? Because the Leader of the Opposition is totally in the control of the union bosses—that is why. The Leader of the Opposition is not prepared to stand up for the people of Australia because he is being dictated to by union bosses, union thugs, and people that preach one message and do not adhere to it when it applies to them. The Leader of the Opposition has to answer some questions. These are serious allegations involving, perhaps, breaches of the Electoral Act. He cannot laugh it away. He cannot continue to be controlled by the union bosses and expect the people of Australia to back him.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.