House debates

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Questions without Notice

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Bill 2014

2:03 pm

Photo of Sarah HendersonSarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister advise the House on the importance of registered organisations and trade unions being accountable to their members? How does the registered organisations bill support the government's national economic plan?

2:04 pm

Photo of Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. This morning, I summed up the second piece of vital workplace legislation—reintroduced into the House, on that occasion, for the fourth time—this week, the registered organisations bill.

The registered organisations bill and our commitment to re-establishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission are critical elements of economic reform. Law-abiding workplaces, law-abiding unions and employer organisations are vital for our economy. We cannot stand idly by while militant unions can continue their thuggery and their bullyboy tactics—continue standing over rank and file members, threatening rank-and-file members of their union and of other unions, and contractors. We saw the obscene threats from the CFMEU at that Gold Coast construction site on the video yesterday. We saw that, and those chilling words: 'I know your phone number. I know where you live.' That is the thuggery that has to come to an end. This is not only disrespecting the law and not only making a mockery of justice; it is driving up the cost of construction of every school, every road, every bridge and every apartment building. And all this at a time when public finances are under pressure.

We know that unions play an important role in Australian society. We are not about union-busting. We are about economy-boosting. We know that unions act, or should act, for their members. We know they should put their members first—and so, in their hearts, do members opposite. And yet they have seen, again and again, the honourable member opposite: he knows Kathy; he knows Craig; he knows Cesar; he knows all of his friends there, and he knows what they did. He knows the way they stole. He knows the way they lied. He knows that they broke every obligation of good corporate governance. And what are we asking the parliament to do? No more than to require union officials and their counterpart employer organisations to obey the law, to have the same standards of accountability that we demand of company directors and to ensure that there is transparency and accountability. And, if they break the law, just as is the case with company directors, they will be brought to account.

The corruption, the fraud and the bullying have to stop. These laws will do it.