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

On Friday 9 September I was joined by eight other Queensland MPs and senators in hearing from the CPSU members who are taking part in industrial action where they are trying to strike a deal with the Turnbull-Joyce government.

I heard from Juanita from the DPS, Ed from Border Force, Erica from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Brett from the ATO, Renee from the federal courts, Sean from the Bureau of Meteorology, Paula from Veterans' Affairs, Daniel from the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Wilson from Border Force, Chris from the ATO, Elaine from Centrelink and many others about the way they have been snubbed by their minister, and the Prime Minister, in terms of striking a deal on wages.

The essence of enterprise bargaining—which has been around since the nineties—is that you must be able to actually sit down and negotiate. The government seems to have taken the attitude that they do not have to treat these hardworking public servants, who are already under stress because so many of their colleagues have been sacked or because of cuts. There is a tax on their conditions. They have rejected the offers of the government. Yet still Minister Cash treats them with absolute contempt and should be condemned by the Australian people for her treatment of these hardworking public servants— (Time expired)