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

As I said: on Monday, the retailers were rubbing their hands; on Tuesday, the hoteliers were saying to pop the champagne corks—'Work Choices, we can get the individual contract in the back way'—but today the Liberal party must have said, 'Oh my goodness,' when they read the Australian,because who is out there belling the wish list for the Liberal industrial relations? You got it, the Reithmeister is back! What he says is, 'Tony Abbott, if you want to be a long-term leader of the Liberal Party,' Peter Reith gave an ultimatum to the Liberal Party of today, he said, 'You'd better go hard on the workers, you'd better go hard on the employees'. He said, 'Unfair individual contracts: let's bring them back'. He said, 'Let's go after parental leave'. The Chief Opposition Whip must have been channelling his inner Reith today! But he goes further: he says, 'Let's have crack at unfair dismissal protection'. They must love Peter Reith on the opposition side. They must say, 'Thank you for Peter Reith'.

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