Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I hear the member for Dawson ask, 'Who said that?' That was the national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union, Paul Howes.

Ms O'Dwyer interjecting—

Yes, that is right, Member for Higgins—Paul Howes. And good on him for saying it. I will just repeat it. Paul Howes said that unions should be held to a higher account than the corporate sector and there should be zero tolerance for corruption. He said that whilst addressing the Australian Workers' Union annual conference. This union leader has also been quoted as saying:

I actually believe there is a higher responsibility for us as guardians of workers' money to protect that money and to act diligently and honestly.

In the same interview, he went on to say:

The reality is I do not have any issue with increasing the level of requirements and penalties on trade unions for breaching basic ethics like misappropriation of funds.

I have to declare an interest here. I was actually a member of a union—and I understand the member for Farrer was a member of three unions—for 21 consecutive years. It might seem fairly odd for a National Party member of parliament to have been a loyal, dedicated, fee-paying unionist for 21 long years. I was a member of the Australian Journalists Association, which in 1992 became the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance—I do hope they act on media reform. I was a member of that union and I know that, during that time, my union fees were going to a good cause—to help better journalistic services, to help protect the sorts of things that journalists fight hard to preserve.

Unions need to be governed properly and this is what this private member's bill, put forward by the Leader of the Opposition, is intended to achieve. It is decent legislation. The Prime Minister has told us herself that every union has a slush fund—and that is a disgrace. It is time for every MP, particularly those on that side of the House, to end this. There are currently eight separate Fair Work Australia inquiries into rorts, rackets and rip-offs. If justice is to be done for low-paid workers across our great country, particularly those in the Health Services Union, this private member's bill has to pass this House.

The member for Greenway spoke of penalty increases, yet those penalties still do not go anywhere near the level of penalties that corporations are faced with. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister for employment and workplace relations have previously announced a policy to ensure that the money paid to registered organisations, including trade unions and employer groups, is used for proper purposes—used for the purposes for which it was intended. This bill will be a real test for this government. This bill will be a real test for the crossbenchers. Will they stand up for workers? Will they stand up for transparency?

See this speech in context