Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education representing the Minister for Employment. Can the minister inform the House why it is important to restore law and order in the construction industry, and can he further tell the House who is standing in the way of this?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Casey would have been as appalled as I was, as I am sure were all members on this side of the House, by the story that was carried by 7.30 last Thursday about corruption and infiltration by organised crime of the CFMEU in New South Wales. It was a report that should, quite frankly, frighten all right-thinking people around Australia.

A very courageous whistleblower called Andrew Quirk gave evidence to 7.30and I quote from it:

There have been reports of corruption, association with murderers, association with gangsters, association with terrorists, money being paid to union officials, union officials intimidating other union officials, union officials being forced out of their jobs and their careers and the silence is deafening.

Well, not from this side of the House. From the government's side of the House, the silence has not been deafening. Since we were elected a year ago, we have passed legislation to introduce a Registered Organisations Commission to protect good union officials and bring bad union officials to justice. We have passed legislation in this House to establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission to put a tough cop on the industrial beat. We have established a royal commission into union thuggery and corruption, and we have attempted to change the union right-of-entry rules. On the other side of the House, all of those measures have been opposed by the opposition—a refusal to cooperate; a refusal to pass this legislation in the Senate; a refusal to hold corrupt union officials to account for their actions. Why is Labor so quiet on this issue? Why did Daniel Andrews welcome back the CFMEU into the Victorian Labor Party? Why didn't the Leader of the Opposition stop the CFMEU from being reintroduced into the Victorian Labor Party? Why doesn't he shun them?

Mr Shorten interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will desist.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why did the shadow Attorney-General, the member for Isaacs, criticise our extension of time for the royal commission into union corruption and thuggery? I think the answer lies in the fact that the CFMEU is one of the biggest donors the Labor Party has ever had in its history. Since 2000, it has given $10 million to the Labor Party in donations. The CFMEU has such power over the ALP that they will not act. Hawke, Keating and Rudd would have acted against the union. This Leader of the Opposition is too weak to take the action that he knows he should take.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has concluded his answer.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It had better be a proper one.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister imputed improper motives. The Practiceand the standing orders are very clear about the form such accusations should take, and it is not at question time.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.