Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I just observe, Madam Deputy Speaker, that there is always noise coming from that direction, regardless of where he sits. We are used to the prattle, not worried by the content, just unfortunately—

An honourable member: Neither are they.

I do not think they are, and I think that is why he never got to the front bench when they were there with a government.

I thank the member for Reid, because I know his concern. He has raised this with me. Whilst I would not go so far as to say it is a national disgrace at this stage, it is certainly a state disgrace. It has the potential to become a national disgrace if the same crowd ever sit on the treasury bench in the national parliament. I think it is really important to understand the significant policy reforms that have been put in place by this government to lift the prosperity of the people who work but also to secure and sustain the prosperity of the nation. One cannot do that unless one makes the investments in the essential drivers of productivity—in education, in skills, in infrastructure. We came to office with a massive deficiency on all these three fronts and we set about redressing that. The global financial crisis gave us a very important opportunity through the stimulus package to put money into these areas that underpin the growth of a nation—importantly, into training, infrastructure and skills development.

But it is also important that we have harmony in the workplace. Labor governments have consistently sought a framework in which that partnership is encouraged in the workplace through the enterprise, and that requires core fundamentals in terms of the industrial relations framework. It requires the recognition of the right of employees to collectively bargain. It requires the recognition that, in a bargaining framework, that bargaining must take place in the spirit of good faith. And it requires, if it is to really work, that in the absence of agreement through bargaining in good faith there is resort to an independent umpire. They are fundamentals, and we will fight till the last drop of our blood to ensure that those principles are always secured.

Unfortunately, whilst this has demonstrated itself to be an important benefit to the nation, it does not have bipartisan support. We saw that when the Howard government were last in office, because they introduced Work Choices, which did not recognise the requirement to bargain in good faith, did not recognise the role of the independent umpire and did not really recognise the right to collectively bargain. They were defeated, and an essential element of the cause of their defeat was Work Choices. People woke up to what it was doing. It was taking away their dignity. It was stripping their standards of living. We campaigned on the basis of changing it and we won. We set about changing it and introduced Fair Work Australia. Since that time, despite their dire predictions of job losses, wage outbreaks and breakouts in industrial disputes, none of it has happened. In fact, the opposite has happened: strong job growth and strong reduction in industrial disputes.

But the O'Farrell government, in the member for Reid's own state, despite never having sought the mandate on changing the arrangements, are setting about restoring Work Choices mark 2, doing it at the state level and doing it with their own employees—and that is a disgrace. They are seeking to introduce a piece of legislation that will allow them, by regulation, to determine the conditions, stripping away the right to collectively bargain and turning the independent umpire essentially into a rubber stamp. That needs to be fought in the state of New South Wales, but we will ensure that this government exposes the opposition for what it really believes in. It says Work Choices is dead, buried and cremated but given half a chance would bring it back tomorrow.

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