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

My question is to the Acting Minister for Employment. I ask the Minister to update the House on the steps the government is taking to restore integrity to the union movement. And I further ask: what stands in the way of the government's plan to reward honest union leaders?

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

I thank the member for Casey for his question. He and the House would know by now that the government is seeking to support honest union leaders by initiating the registered organisations commission and by bringing back the Australian Building and Construction Commission, both of which are stalled in the Senate. The hurdle in the path of being able to support honest union leaders is, unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition and the Australian Labor Party. That can be fixed, of course, but the question is: why? What motivates the Leader of the Opposition and the Australian Labor Party to take the position that they have taken in the Senate?

Mr Danby interjecting—

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

The member for Melbourne Ports will desist or leave.

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

There may be a clue in last night's episode of The Killing Seasonwhich reminded me of the Kardashians meet the World Wrestling Federation—although I was particularly surprised to discover that the Jesse Ventura character was the member for Watson! I think most members of the Labor Party would also have been surprised. They would not have actually recognised his central role in the destruction of Kevin Rudd until they saw him talking about himself last night on The Killing Season. Most people would remember that he had absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever. Apparently his schtick is to try and include himself in these things later on, after the event. Not so the member for Grayndler; at least he is honest about his political position, as he was for the period of the Gillard-Rudd government. But I digress. What would be the clue? Now, the clue was actually a man called Gerry Kitchener; he had his 15 minutes of fame last night. He was talking about Mark Arbib. I am definitely going to get—

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The member for Isaacs on a point of order—quickly. The member will resume his seat otherwise.

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

Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order. I appreciate that the minister wants to be a TV critic and not a minister—

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

The member will resume his seat. The Minister has the call.

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

I think 'Brutus Beefcake' over there was just sorry he did not make it to the actual screen last night. What this man, Mr Kitchener, said, quoting Mark Arbib, was that you 'could not trust Bill Shorten', that 'he would do Julia in', and that 'he would use the union base to knock her off. Now, that could well be the clue we have been searching for. He would use the union base to knock her off. Maybe that is what motivates him not to support the government's reforms. I hope the member for Corio and the members for Maribyrnong, Isaacs, McEwen and Gellibrand can trust the Leader of the Opposition, because, of course, they all benefited from the 'Shorten coup'. Bill, I hope you can trust yourself! You have let everybody else down over the years. Rudd could not trust you, Gillard could not trust you and Arbib did not trust you, and he would know because he knocked off two premiers.

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

The Minister will resume his seat. The member for Moreton on a point of order?

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.

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

You cannot trust yourself, Bill.

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

You cannot trust yourself either.

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

I hope they can trust the Leader of the Opposition, because they all benefitted from the AWU coup initiated by the member for Maribyrnong, and I hope they are not going to be thrown overboard in the royal commission in August. (Time expired)