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

I thank the member for Dobell for his very perceptive question. I can report to the member for Dobell that the level of industrial disputation in the building and construction industry is at an all-time low. There has been a fall from something like a factor of 35 out of 1,000 days of work, in the number of strikes, to something less than two as a result of the legislation introduced by this government. It is very interesting that, in the past 24 hours, the Leader of the Opposition has told the Australian people that he will adopt a policy of zero tolerance towards thuggery and illegal behaviour in the building and construction industry. They are fine words and they might be believable if they had been matched by action. But let me point out to the House that, far from exhibiting zero tolerance towards thuggery in the building industry, the Leader of the Opposition has exhibited maximum toleration towards thuggery in the building industry. He now wants the Australian people to believe that if he were to become Prime Minister he would seriously retain in its present form the ABCC—that is, the watchdog that protects people in the building industry against the likes of Joe McDonald, Dean Mighell and Kevin Reynolds.

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