Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

In these final two weeks of parliament, the matter that will be top of mind for many senators will be discussions, debate and the resolution of the Labor government's new industrial relations platform. Western Australians are confused. The government, it's fair to say, enjoyed strong electoral support in Western Australia. It won the seat of Pearce, it won the seat of Hasluck and it won a Senate spot. So Western Australians can't understand why it is now that this Labor government has decided so quickly—and I think today marks the six-month anniversary of the election of the government—to turn its back on Western Australians and, importantly, to turn its back on what is a critical part of the Western Australian economy and, indeed, the most critical part of Australia's prosperity, and that is the mining and resources sector.

There are four words from Jim Chalmers that Western Australians should not forget: 'It's not our policy.' Before the election, Jim Chalmers said that wholesale industrial relations reform was not the policy of the government. Now, after the election, Jim Chalmers, the Prime Minister and Labor senators are saying it is the centrepiece of their so-called economic plan to improve wages in Australia. 'It's not our policy,' said Jim Chalmers for everybody to hear, and just six months later we are in the Senate chamber and it is the centrepiece of the last two weeks of this parliamentary sitting period.

Let's be very, very clear about why this is so central, and why it is so important for coalition senators like me, Senator Cadell and others to stand up and argue against this industrial relations plan, which will damage the mining and resources sector in Western Australia and, indeed, across the whole country. Let's be clear about this: the mining and resources sector earns for this whole country $43 billion of export revenue. Secondly, it employs over 277,000 people. Thirdly—and importantly for the government, which makes it more surprising that it would be turning its back on the mining and resources sector—it generates just over $43 billion in tax revenue for Australian governments. Western Australians have a right to be very distrustful. Why, so early on in the term of this government, having enjoyed such electoral success in Western Australia six months ago, are they now, in the final two weeks of this parliament, deciding to turn their back on such a significant—if not the most significant—industry in Western Australia. It's such an important industry across our whole country.

The problem with Labor is that you can't believe what they say. Coalition senators on the side of the Senate are surprised that so early in the term of this new government their mistruths, their lack of honesty, and their ability to wholesale-change policy commitments given prior to the election are now there for the whole community to see. Western Australians have seen it with great clarity that these industrial relations reforms will damage the mining and resources sector. The sector says 33,000 jobs are at risk as a result of the multi-employer bargaining changes in addition to new tax proposals from the government. We know—the industry tells us—that this will imperil $77 billion worth of projects—140 projects subject to pre final investment decisions will now be at risk as a result of new taxes and this industrial relations reform. Labor has betrayed Western Australian voters.