John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it has been contributed to by both sides of politics. There is, however, a caveat to be placed on that observation, and that is that the Liberal and National parties, when in opposition, supported those reforms of the former government that were beneficial to the Australian economy, whereas those reforms of this government which have been beneficial to the Australian economy—such as taxation reform, waterfront reform, getting the budget back into balance and paying off $96 billion of government debt—have all been trenchantly opposed by the opportunistic members of the Australian Labor Party who sit opposite.

What Labor want to do is to turn back the clock. What Labor want to do is, for the first time in the modern era of economic management in this country, reverse a major economic reform. What they are proposing to do—driven by their real masters, the bosses of the ACTU—is akin to reregulating the financial system, ending the floating of the Australian dollar, dismantling taxation reform and going back to the bad old days of the waterfront. They are not only talking about rolling back Work Choices; they are also talking about rolling back the reforms that were introduced in 1996, because what we have heard from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is a description of an industrial relations system which takes us back beyond the reforms of 1996. Why is this occurring? This is not occurring in the name of helping the working men and women of Australia; this is occurring in the name of reimposing union domination over the industrial relations system.

As I look along the Labor Party frontbench—no disrespect to them as individuals—70 per cent of them are former trade union officials. They are going to be joined, of course, after the next election by an honour roll of the brothers and sisters.

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