Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is one thing that we did not do. We did not abandon them. We got a whole lot of those people into work. What could happen here if the elastic band that has been pulled by the Labor Party on industrial relations is let go and springs back too far is that the least able to get employment will be first affected, not those who have already locked in a job in the union movement.

A reasonable amendment will be put before this House, which could be easily accommodated by the Labor government except for the political charge against them by the union movement. If that charge were not there—if they were prepared to consider a reasonable amendment put forward—then we could go on progressively. Whilst the arrangements in this bill being discussed today are important, the real hit will come later, when the government proposes greater reform. This is the response to the election campaign. The greater response to the changing of awards, which will come later on in the parliamentary term, is the one that the Australian nation will have to watch more carefully. If the government are going to try to pull us back even further than where we have been in the past, those who are least able will pay the highest price. These are important issues for the nation; otherwise, we would not be addressing them. They are not, and never have been, the only issues.

This morning I was thinking through these issues and I came to think about my own family and our employment of people over a long period of time. I know that there are those who have worked with us who speak very well of my dad and mum and our family as employers. I know that most of the people who employ people in this country, especially in small business, cherish their workers. Are there a few rotten apples in life? Yes. And that will continue to be the case. Yes, we do need workplace arrangements that allow people to be protected. I think that with what we have come to put in place here, if there is a safety net, people will feel more comfortable. But let us not do anything in the legislation on industrial relations laid down by this House to offend the economy as a whole.

When the economic modelling for the changes proposed in Labor’s legislation comes out, we need to be on guard to make sure that this is not just an ideological push because we want one thing and they want another. This should be about what will benefit the nation as a whole and benefit our young people into the future. Yes, it was clear to me that there were some people, grandparents particularly, who worried about whether their children would be able to join a union and be protected. Yes, they can now and they have been able to in the past. As I said, we will be supporting this legislation, but I commend the proposed amendment to the House.

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