Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Hansard source

I am entirely confident that in recent years the Australian Workers Union has been very well administered. Let me go further on this question, because we know where the question is coming from. We know that there have been attempts by the Liberal Party to smear and muckrake; what we also know is that that dog is not going to hunt. Only this side of parliament will ever stand up for workers. I am proud to be in a labour movement that stands on the side of getting workers pay rises. I am proud to be part of a government that stands on the side of better health and safety for workers. I am proud to be part of a government that stands for secure jobs. I am proud to be part of a government and a labour movement that stands for the accomplishments of unions. I am also proud to be part of a government, led by our Prime Minister, that stands up for the issues of working people no matter what the topic.

Need I remind the House of the National Disability Insurance Scheme? Need I remind the House of what we intend to do to improve the funding of schools, wherever they are and regardless of the postcode? Let me also make it clear that we on this side of the House will never be part of the sort of antics we see from the 'mini-me's' of the coalition federally—I refer of course to the East Coast state premiers. We will never be part of the wholesale job cuts that Campbell Newman is proposing in Queensland; we will never be part of Barry O'Farrell's attack on injured workers; and we will never be part of Ted Baillieu's attack on TAFE.

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