House debates

Tuesday, 2 February 2021

Personal Explanations

3:23 pm

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | | Hansard source

I wish to make a personal explanation.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | | Hansard source

Yes, very grievously.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member may proceed.

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | | Hansard source

The Attorney-General has been using my remarks in our pre-election policy to justify his pay-cutting laws, which they did not tell the voters about before the last election. It was done in three ways. He quoted from a speech. He said that he was using my Labor policies as inspiration for his pay-cutting laws. The first of the three ways in which that's wrong is that it's untrue. I spoke about megaprojects, not projects of $250 million. I certainly did not speak about greenfields agreements without unions; they were to be with unions. And we did not speak about eight years. That was the untrue part of his quote. But he also omitted other parts of our industrial relations policies.

This cheeky fellow then didn't mention penalty rate cuts, which we proposed—

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Maribyrnong will refer to people by their correct titles.

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | | Hansard source

The Attorney-General, formerly known as the cheeky fellow.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

This could end very quickly.

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | | Hansard source

I apologise. He didn't mention, as they proposed their pay cut to the workers who've gone through COVID, that we want to restore the penalty rates cut by the government. He hasn't got a policy to call out the sham contracting which affects hundreds of thousands of workers, and there is no policy to look after labour hire workers.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Maribyrnong has shown where he's been misrepresented.

Photo of Bill ShortenBill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

He can't now commence a debate.