Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

What an absurdity. I heard Senator Campbell’s interjection. Before I go on to that point, to outline the record that this government has—and why would we jeopardise it?—I want to pick up the previous speaker on just one more point. I want all points home about the previous speaker and those on the other side, about just how old world they are and how tied up with the old union movement they are. That is his claim of the detriment to the unions of our new industrial relations laws in that most corrupt and criminal world of the building and construction industry and the unions involved in it. That was found by the Cole royal commission, and you come in here and defend those unions and defend that industry as if it was totally picked on. A royal commission found out what that industry was, and this government had the guts to reform it and put in place a running commission to reform that industry as part of all our reforms of industrial relations. And you cannot take it. You will not take it.

You have been rejected by your own workers. You have been rejected by the so-called middle Australia that you claim to have because our record is on the board. Why would we jeopardise a 16.8 per cent rise in wages? Why would we jeopardise a 4.9 per cent unemployment rate? These are all records for the past 30 years. I say that we will be tested on this reform, as we have always, and we know you are going to make this the centrepiece of your election campaign. But what a miscalculation you have made here today.