Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister please update the House on what the government is doing to help protect small and family businesses from the actions of militant unions?

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for her question.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield will leave under 94(a).

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that she is a very keen supporter—

Mr Champion interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, you.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

of small business—in particular when it comes to the family farm.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister can pause. I'm not going to debate issues on 94(a) with any member, particularly the member for Wakefield. If he doesn't know by now if he interjects—

Mr Champion interjecting—

The member for Wakefield will resume his seat. I've made this very clear. This is about the dignity of the House. The member for Wakefield knows by now that, if he interjects and I ask him to cease interjecting, if he interjects immediately I'm going to ask him to remove himself from the House, and I'm not going to have him backchat the chair when I'm representing the House. I'm now naming the member for Wakefield.

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the member for Wakefield be suspended from the service of the House.

A division having been called and the bells being rung—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, to assist the House, perhaps the Leader of the House could get advice about the motion that he moved, because it referred to a seat that does not exist—just so we don't waste a lot of time on a procedure.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, that's my fault. It's the member for Spence. So we can stop ringing the bells for a second, and I'll just do it again. I name the member for Spence.

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a contingency that I wasn't quite planning for, I have to say. I move:

That the member for Spence be suspended from the service of the House.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is the member for Spence be suspended from the service of the House.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Spence is suspended from the service of the House for 24 hours.

The member for Spence then left the chamber.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, there are 10,341 small businesses in the electorate of Bass. Of these, the biggest industries are construction, agriculture—which the member for Bass knows extremely well—forestry and fishing. When it comes to small business, the Morrison government want to back small business. We're cutting taxes for small business, we're removing red tape for small business and we're opening up new trade opportunities for small business.

The other thing we're doing is protecting small business from union militancy, despite Labor fighting us every step of the way. Look at our record: we established the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a tough cop on the beat to ensure the rule of law applies on Australian building sites. This is in stark contrast to the Labor Party and their extensive history of backing the CFMMEU and their law-breaking activity. Labor want us to return to chaos by abolishing the ABCC.

We set up the Registered Organisations Commission to ensure that employee and employer organisations do the right thing by their members. We passed the corrupting benefits legislation, which again was opposed by Labor. It banned dodgy payments between registered organisation representatives and those they were bargaining with. We abolished the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, which saved 35,000 small businesses. It was opposed by those opposite. And let's not forget that those small businesses employ seven million hardworking Australians. We're on their side.

But the question is: what is the position of the Leader of the Opposition? How does the Leader of the Opposition explain supporting the expulsion of Mr Setka from the Labor Party but not supporting legislation that would, if Mr Setka continued his unlawful behaviour, see him being expelled from his position as a union official? That is the question that this question time needs an answer to, and it would be very good if the Leader of the Opposition went outside and answered that question. That is the question you need to answer.