Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Those opposite are just shouting their no confidence in the trade union movement's capacity to negotiate enterprise bargaining agreements. What you are saying is: the enterprise bargaining agreement, under which these workers are now operating, is unsatisfactory and is not paying workers what they deserve. If that is the case, they should go to the Fair Work Commission, argue their case and get a pay increase through that mechanism rather than have a Labor Party government, as happened, trying to throw around money to placate a trade union including, as part of the deal, that every cleaner had to be introduced to the trade union. I wonder why that might be! It was for the dividend, which would have cost more than $2 an hour, I am sure. (Time expired)