Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Nothing symbolises more how lost this crowd are on industrial relations than Senator Cash. The former workplace relations minister, nobody is more responsible over on that side for a government that had the longest period of historically low wage growth in our history ever—ever! Since Federation, those guys opposite presided over the lowest period of wage growth in our history and the lowest period of productivity growth in our history. Why? Because they see industrial relations and workplace reform for one thing: they can't stand the union movement. That is all they care about. They are not interested in anything more. It is a one-eyed, prejudiced, blinkered, ideological view about Australian workplaces that can only see one thing. And when there is a little bit of legislation put in front of them—moderate sensible, practical, straightforward internationally comparable—what are they doing? I will tell you what they are doing.