House debates Questions without Notice
Member for Dobell
Sussan Ley Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning
2:46 pm
My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. I refer to the Fair Work Australia report into the activities of Victoria No.1 branch of the Health Services Union. With the members of the HSU themselves calling for action, has the minister referred the findings of this report to the Australian Taxation Office for further investigation?
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
I thank the member for Farrer for her question and I note that 42½ thousand of her voters are going to get an increase in superannuation if we get our laws through tonight.
Peter Slipper Speaker
The minister will become directly relevant or the call will be withdrawn. The minister is given the call to answer the question.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
We welcome the conclusion of the Fair Work Australia investigation. The general manager's referral of the matter to the Australian Government Solicitor we also welcome. In terms of the question about my powers to refer matters, the opposition has, at every stage of this investigation by Fair Work Australia, demanded that we interfere. At the same time, they have also said that we have interfered with this matter, but we did not.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
On a point of order, Mr Speaker: the minister was asked a very straightforward question on behalf of the members of the HSU. That question was whether he has referred the now published report of Fair Work Australia into Victoria No.1 branch to the Australian Taxation Office. That is a very simple question.
Peter Slipper Speaker
I do draw the substance of the question to the attention of the minister and I ask him to answer it.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
The question goes to the referral of this report to the Australian Taxation Office. We are certainly reading the report. We are going through it and we are certainly drawing it to the attention of the regulatory authorities to which we can. But let us go further here. On this question and the issues around it about the HSU, the opposition has, at every stage, tried to pre-empt the process of investigation.
Peter Slipper Speaker
The minister will return to the substance of the question.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
It is under this government and our act that this investigation on the HSU Victoria No. 1 branch has been concluded. The general manager is in the process of concluding the rest of the report.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training
2:48 pm
Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. It arises from the answer given by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and it is simply: when does he believe he will have completed his reading of the report?
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
2:49 pm
There is no question that the report is an important one. That is why we have—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
You guys wanted it and wanted it. Now we have it. We have completed the analysis of it and what we do know is—
Opposition members interjecting—
Peter Slipper Speaker
Order! The minister will be heard entirely in silence for the balance of his answer.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
The report is clearly important and it has been referred to the Australian Government Solicitor for further action. As much as those opposite would like us to give a running commentary on the activities of either the independent regulator or on further proceedings which might be the subject of court action, this side of the House is not going to fall into the trap of being baited into a debate when there is in fact a process already underway.