Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Employment. Will the minister inform the House of the government's efforts to ensure the rule of law in our workplaces, particularly in the construction industry? What challenges are there to this vital reform?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to tell the member for La Trobe that under the Howard government there was a respect for the rule of law in the federal government. In fact, the Australian Building and Construction Commission, covering building and construction, saved the Australian economy $7.5 billion and building and construction productivity increased by 16.8 per cent after the creation of the Australian Building and Construction Commission by the now Prime Minister in the Howard government.

On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition reversed the Australian Building and Construction Commission on the instructions of his union handlers at the CFMEU. The rouge CFMEU was bought back to the cabinet table and the ABCC was abolished. The CFMEU had its seat, telling Labor how to run industrial relations. We are trying to fix that. We are trying to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission. We are trying to establish the Registered Organisations Commission and who is opposing those reforms? It is no other than the Leader of the Opposition, 'Union Bill', trying to oppose those reforms to stop the tough cop on the industrial beat. I withdraw that. I am happy to withdraw that. He is trying to stop the trough cop on the union beat.

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

If I might say, the day that the word union is considered unparliamentarily would be remarkable. It is not unparliamentarily.

Opposition members interjecting—

The clock will stop.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You know very well that that was not the point of order—

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

There is no point of order.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that I was proposing to make. I have not given you the point of order.

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

Well, please move it.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order was that the member should use members' proper titles in this chamber and not the point that you made.

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

The minister has the call and will refer to people by their correct titles.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will. Only yesterday, Nigel Hadgkiss, the Fair Work Building and Construction Director, said he had identified more than 500 projects, in receipt of $50 billion in federal funding, which are at risk of running over budget and time unless legal abuses in the industry end. It pains me to say that unlawful conduct in Australia's construction industry is still a deplorable state of affairs.

In this environment, Daniel Andrews, the Leader of the Opposition in Victoria, wants to rip up Victoria's building code. In spite of all the warnings from former royal commissioners and from the Fair Work Building and Construction Commission, he wants to rip up Victoria's building code and put John Setka back in charge of running Victoria—the head of the CFMEU. He went so far as to stand next to representatives of the CFMEU in 2012 when he announced that he would rip up Victoria's building code.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

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

The member for Sydney will desist!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He wants to bring the CFMEU back into the centre of government in Victoria and jam up the building and construction industry in Victoria, which is a vital jobs growth sector in Victoria. If you vote Labor on Saturday, you will be voting for John Setka to run Victoria again. Or, you can vote for the stable Napthine-Ryan government.