Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

What happened under 13 years of Labor? Wages went down—d-o-w-n—by 0.2 per cent. The record speaks for itself, Senator Marshall, as you know full well. Let us talk about the facts. I am very happy to have a debate, an argument and a discussion based on the facts. What we do not want to happen is to have a debate based on misrepresentation and untruth—and that is exactly what has been happening as a result of this union-Labor campaign.

What about industrial disputes? Goodness me; according to the Labor Party and the union movement, there was going to be an absolute balls-up as a result of Work Choices. But industrial disputes are now at the lowest level since records came into being. The rate today is 33 times lower than the highest rate recorded under Labor. Who was the employment minister under Labor when those figures were alive? It was Mr Kim Beazley, the Leader of the Opposition. He was minister for employment at the time. Not only do we have that low rate; productivity has also gone up.

What we are talking about here is putting food on the table of working men and women and their families across this country. The Labor Party are trying to deny that. They should accept it, because that is exactly what is happening. What do the Labor Party want to do about industrial relations? They want to deny people choice. They now have a policy, in black and white, which says that they will abolish Australian workplace agreements at a time when people are flocking to have agreements between employers and employees. In my home state of Tasmania we have 24,000 live AWAs, and we have had over one million signed since they came into being under this Howard government.

You want to deny those Australians—the men and women who are earning more money on AWAs—at the next election. We will see. The people of Australia will have a choice. They will have a choice between this government and a political party that wants to cut wages. You want to cut the wages of those on AWAs and send them back to the bad old days. You have got just one way to go, and that is the award system, or the collective agreement. What is wrong with choice? If people want to choose to be on an AWA, so be it. Sadly, the rallies today have not delivered for you. The numbers have not been delivered. (Time expired)