Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

There goes the sound effects man again! One of the companies that has used Australian workplace agreements more than any other is Rio Tinto. One of the directors of Rio Tinto is Sir Rod Eddington, who the Deputy Leader of the Opposition describes as ‘another voice’ in relation to Labor’s industrial relations policy. She even came into parliament last night and attempted to deny that she had used that phrase. Not only had she used that phrase but if you download the transcript of 3 May 2007 on her own website—and I will table it; she obviously did not get to her own website in time—you can read the transcript where Neil Mitchell asked Julia Gillard this question:

What is your main adviser’s view on the policy you’ve come up with?

Gillard: Well I, I am happy to talk to Rod about it but that would just be another voice in the voices we’ve got …

It is in black and white and on her own website. She tried to deny the undeniable. I suggest you go and have a chat to that other voice and get rid of your industrial relations policy. And I make this prediction: tonight, if the Leader of the Opposition does not junk Ms Gillard’s industrial relations policy, the rest of the speech will be window-dressing. We have had Medicare Gold, and this industrial relations policy, known as ‘IR Platinum’, is taking the failure of Medicare Gold to a new level. If you are interested in productivity, there is one big challenge for the Leader of the Opposition: cut her loose tonight, cut the policy loose and let us get on with productivity in the Australian economy.

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