Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

It has also taken legal action against more than 40 companies. The OWS, which will soon become the Workplace Ombudsman with additional powers, has investigated and prosecuted big and small companies who have treated their employees badly.

This government is committed to proper and thorough investigation by a well-resourced regulator when allegations of improper activity are made. This is in stark contrast to the Labor Party and the trade union movement, who are prepared to trample over the top of people who may be acting in good faith but, at the same time, are running businesses to help to employ other Australians. For example, only yesterday the Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, together with a cheer squad in the union movement, reacted to a media report about a small business—the Lilac City Motor Inn—in the New South Wales drought affected town of Goulburn. I will not pass judgements on the employment agreements offered specifically to their workers until I have the full facts provided to me by the Office of Workplace Services, but what I can say is that there is a human cost to this story.

The motor inn was bought by Don and Joanne Doolan two years ago when it had only six employees. Today it has 13 employees. Don and Joanne Doolan have two small children. In those two years, the Doolans have worked very hard to build the business up and involve themselves in the Goulburn community, particularly—as the member for Hume would know—during a very difficult time for a severely drought affected town. After the Labor Party and the unions whipped up outrage about the motor inn yesterday, I am advised that this resulted in customers ringing the business to say that they would never stay there again.

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