Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In Victoria. They lost. In fact, the Nationals have almost disappeared as a party there, if I believe what I am reading in the media. This is one of their harshest moves. It is a cowardly attack on the ADF who are not able to speak out for themselves, not able to do anything but accept what has been given to them. Of course this cowardly attack by the Abbott government is an attempt to bully the public service, who are also bargaining with the government. The government has told them: 'Do not expect to get anything more than what Defence has got.' The Prime Minister is on the record as saying that. What the Prime Minister knows—we have seen the attack today from Senator Abetz—is that public servants have a union. We have now seen the biggest industrial action ballot in this country get up with overwhelming support from 95 per cent of union members, who say they will take industrial action to get a decent pay. They cannot be bullied like the ADF can. They cannot be disrespected. I am sure the Australian public will say that public servants are hardworking and deserving of a better deal. It is time that the Abbott government turned the ship around on ADF pay, sacked the minister and gave them a better deal.

Question agreed to.