Ross Lightfoot (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to Senator the Hon. Eric Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Is the minister aware of any examples of how the Howard government’s new industrial relations policies have facilitated the creation of new jobs and is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lightfoot for his question and note that he comes from the state of Western Australia, which has the highest rate of take-up of Australian workplace agreements and also the greatest public confidence in Australian workplace agreements because they are actually observing them in operation. I am indeed aware of examples of where the Howard government’s new industrial relations system has contributed to the creation of new jobs in this country—78,500 examples, in fact, because 78,500 is the number of new full-time jobs created since Work Choices came into operation.

More specifically, courtesy of the Warwick Daily News in Queensland, it just so happens that I am able to relate to the Senate details of three new jobs created as a result of Work Choices. I know those opposite will not like to hear this, but I invite them to listen. The headline from Saturday was ‘Staff doubles under IR laws—legislation increases confidence’. The article read, in part:

The Ranbuild Warwick co-owner—

Mr Nesbitt—

said the new laws had enabled him to double staff … “It’s increased my confidence—we are now more in control of our business in terms of employing,” he said … “We are a small company and if we happened to be taken to court (by an ex-employee) it would have been very costly,” he said.

That is exactly the reason why the Howard government ended the Labor Party’s job-destroying so-called unfair dismissal laws, laws which Labor would reimpose if they ever won government again.

Speaking of Labor’s policy, I have another newspaper article, from today’s Coffs Coast Advocate, the newspaper that first reported the Spotlight story. Allow me to quote the editor, David Moase, commenting on the offered AWA which Labor falsely claimed would have left a Spotlight employee $90 per week worse off. This is what the editor said:

But rather than see the story die a natural death, ALP leader Kim Beazley, like a drowning man, has grabbed onto it …

And then, tellingly, of Mr Beazley’s repeated claims that the employee would lose $90 a week, the editor says:

Those claims were not made in our story.

Of course, Joe de Bruyn from the union in charge, the shoppies, said that they had never said it. The newspaper never said it. The union never said it. The only person that has ever said it is Mr Beazley. And we now know from both the union movement and the newspaper that broke the story that Mr Beazley’s line is wrong, is false, and he should declare where he got that information from.

Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And apologise.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course, as Senator Barnett quite rightly interjects, he should apologise. Whilst the Australian Labor Party is busy creating misinformation and falsehoods, the Howard government is busy creating jobs for Australians and increasing their wages.