Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

One and the same person—Dr Craig Emerson—two days later. He was walking both sides of the street. Isn’t it lucky for Dr Emerson that streets do not have three sides, because otherwise he would be in all sorts of bother trying to walk down all of them!

The simple fact is this: Labor knows that these laws are bad, yet they are not prepared to do anything about it because if they came into government they would be reintroducing these job-destroying laws. Why would they be doing that? All we need to do is ask our friend opposite, Senator Kirk—facing unfair dismissal herself from the Senate because she dared to think for herself and not do what the union told her to do. In Senator Kirk’s own words: ‘I did actually receive a threat from the national secretary of the union as a consequence of my vote. I can’t be expected to be supported for preselection. That’s the way it works.’

More disturbingly, not only is the Labor Party beholden to the trade union movement but also, as has now been exposed, it is beholden to the likes of Brian Burke. The former leader, Mr Beazley, admitted he regularly met with Mr Burke and now we find out that the new leader, Mr Rudd, also met with him on a number of occasions. To discuss what, I wonder? Foreign affairs? I think not. It is about time Mr Rudd levelled with the Australian people and told us exactly what those discussions were about.

Unlike those on the other side, the Howard government has not been infiltrated by the trade union movement or the likes of Brian Burke. The Howard government, by taking the strong and difficult decisions, does what is right for the workers of this country, what is right for the families of this country and what is right for the wealth creation of this country. And Labor under Mr Rudd has not. (Time expired)