George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Will the minister outline to the Senate how Australian workers’ rights are protected by a powerful, well-resourced and independent body, the Office of Workplace Services? 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

Before answering, can I acknowledge Senator Brandis’s very strong interest in protecting workers’ rights. Senator Brandis is spot-on: the Office of Workplace Services is a powerful, well-resourced and independent body charged solely with protecting workers’ rights.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr interjecting—

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

It is well resourced, with $97 million—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, you are warned! I warned you yesterday. I have warned you today. Any further shouting across the chamber and I will name you.

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

What those opposite do not understand is that there is a fundamental difference between union rights and workers’ rights. This body is well resourced, with $97 million over four years which funds over 200 workplace inspectors to protect workers’ rights. Since its inception nearly a decade ago, the office has returned over $38 million in underpayments to thousands of Australian workers. Yet now the Labor party bizarrely opposes this friend of the workers, with the Leader of the Opposition yesterday desperately trying to recover ground for the ACTU by saying that the public servants who work in the Office of Workplace Services are ‘snivelling little liars’. Why this bizarre and cowardly attack on the independent umpire? Today it is not about who said it but about why he said it. It is pretty easy and it is pretty clear: Mr Beazley does not like the exposure the independent umpire gave to the ACTU’s deceptive campaign. The independent umpire exposed the dodginess of their campaign, as a result of which—might I add—the ACTU have now changed their campaign and are going back to actors rather than the so-called real-life cameos, which were found to be false.

The irony is this: at the last election, guess who made a commitment to provide $40 million to this body? It was none other than the Australian Labor Party. They liked the Office of Workplace Services so much that Craig Emerson, the then spokesman, committed Labor to providing extra funding to this supposed organisation of snivelling liars. No wonder Craig Emerson is now on the backbench. This is an example—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Minister, when you are referring to a member in the other place, I would ask you to refer to them by their correct title.

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

Sorry—Mr Craig Emerson. No wonder Mr Craig Emerson is now on the backbench. They now oppose the Office of Workplace Services. They oppose the independent umpire because it exposed their sham advertising campaign—just like we have exposed their sham polls, their dodgy academics and their fake aggrieved workers. It was a campaign that Prentiss McCabe could be proud of! Possibly, they might even be embarrassed by the campaign that Labor have been running on this. What happens is this: the ACTU attacks the Office of Workplace Services, so Mr Beazley has to attack; the union yanks the chain and the Mr Beazley dog barks. That is what happens with the Labor Party. It is a classic case of Mr Beazley saying anything and doing anything in a desperate attempt to get into the Lodge. If Mr Beazley wants to become Prime Minister, he has to show integrity, he has to show leadership and he has to show honesty. To date he has failed to disclose those qualities to the Australian people. By trying to cover up for the shonky ACTU campaign, he has confirmed that he is wholly beholden to the ACTU. (Time expired)