House debates Questions without Notice
Workplace Relations
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
2:53 pm
My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Given that the budget forecasts that 134,000 jobs will be lost in the next 12 months and that the Reserve Bank has forecast an additional 100,000 job losses, can the minister inform the House how many jobs are forecast to be created by the government’s proposed workplace regime? Can the minister explain why she failed to mention job creation once during her hour-long address at the National Press Club yesterday?
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister
I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question. What, of course, underlies the question is that the Liberal Party remains committed to Work Choices, whereas the government is introducing exactly what it—
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Ms Julie Bishop interjecting
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has asked her question.
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister
promised the Australian people, which is Forward with Fairness. Forward with Fairness is a way of finding the appropriate balance between prosperity on the one hand and fairness on the other hand.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Mr Pyne interjecting
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister
The Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party’s question is premised on the false choice that the Liberal Party tried to present to the Australian community in 2007 and which the Australian people rejected. It is premised on the false choice that when you are making workplace relations arrangements you need to choose between prosperity and fairness, between jobs and fairness at work. There is no such false choice alive in our economy. And the Australian people saw right through the Liberal Party’s cant about this at the last election. Modern, simple workplace relations is good for workers and it is good for business. Of course, if you are doing things that are good for business, you are doing things that are good for employment.
Let me tell you what was bad for business. What was bad for business was the system set up by the former government where agreements went to the back of a 100,000-long queue so businesses did not know what was happening for three months, four months, five months, six months or seven months. Screaming abuse in defence of Work Choices is not going to make that right. Having small businesses wait five, six, seven or eight months under Work Choices to be told what had happened to their agreement—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Mr Pyne interjecting
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister
after it had gone into a black hole is just one example that shows that proper workplace relations—
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Mr Pyne interjecting
Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister
simple, modern, flexible, fair workplace relations—are good for business, good for jobs and good for working people. The Australian people understand that and the government understands that; the only people in the country who do not understand that are the Work Choices supporters over there.
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. As the minister did not answer the question, I was wondering if I could have leave to table the speech which does not mention job creation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Is leave granted? Leave is not granted. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat.