Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I can. Those risks almost always are on that side of the chamber. The reason is fairly straightforward, Mr President: our colleagues opposite are dangerously under the thumb of militant unions. That poses a serious threat to the continued growth of the economy should those opposite swap places with us. At the Labor Party conference later this year, those opposite will quietly sign up to industrial relations policies which do literally come straight from the last century. They will give militant unions free rein to shut down entire industries, hurting small business and costing jobs, all because the Leader of the Opposition is too weak to stand up to the trade union movement. Those opposite are a real risk and they can't be trusted.