Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have been in this place for near on six years. I know the member for Griffith has to speak on behalf of her union bosses but, with the greatest respect, that was the most hypocritical speech that I have heard in the last six years. To come into this chamber to speak on this bill—the Fair Work Amendment (Respect for Emergency Services Volunteers) Bill 2016—and to talk about freedom and liberty and to vote against it is an absolute disgrace. The member never even spoke about the bill. The member wants to talk about freedom, liberty and EBA's, but does she understand that the Victorian state government actually sacked the CFA board because they did not do what they wanted? How was that freedom and liberty? They sacked the board and replaced them with their own hand-picked patsies. This is something you would expect in Soviet Russia. And you come in here and you talk about freedom and liberty. What an absolute disgrace!

We live in the greatest country in the world. It is the greatest country in the world not because of good luck but because of our institutions, our customs, our practices and our traditions. Not only do they make us the greatest country in the world; they are the glue that holds our communities together. These things include providing economic opportunity to individuals and, as the member for Berowra said yesterday in a most wonderful speech, 'The ability in this country to chance your arm.' I acknowledge in the gallery Mr Ian Krantz, a gentleman that runs his own business and supports his own family by chancing his arm—and I give him credit for that.

The other glue that holds our community together and that makes us a great society that we are is that spirit of volunteerism. That is why we are bringing this bill into parliament. What the Victorian government are doing is a direct attack on the spirit of volunteerism. It is simply what we see time and time again from the Labor Party—attacking the fundamental things that make our country great. We saw it on the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, for which we had the report this morning from Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell. She talked about where the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal put those who were chancing their arm, those individual small business people, at a competitive disadvantage and forced them out of business—a Labor Party initiative. Kate Carnell said:

Fundamentally what we found was the order caused significant financial and emotional distress for small business owner-drivers; many lost work, resulting in a loss of income that impacted not only on their business, but their entire family.

The inquiry also heard evidence that a small number of people found the order compounded their mental health battles and financial difficulties to the extent that they took their own lives ….

The Labor Party supported that. They supported the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. They came in here with the phoney argument that it was all about road safety, when it was all about giving more power to the unions, and they all stand condemned today from that report from the Small Business Ombudsman. And here we are seeing an exact repeat: an attack on that spirit of volunteerism in the Rural Fire Service, as we know them in New South Wales, and the Country Fire Authority, as they are known in Victoria.

The member for Chifley came in here and said, 'There's is no problem. Look away. Look away,' and tried to distract. Is there a problem? Let's just have a look at some of the evidence. Because of this EBA in Victoria, the Victorian emergency services minister—a Labor person elected under the Labor banner sitting in a Labor ministry—resigned because of what the Victorian government is trying to do. Congratulations to Jane Garrett for standing up and pointing out how wrong this is. The chief executive of the Country Fire Authority also resigned in protest and many volunteers have already resigned. I have a few quotes from the CFA chief himself. He said that the EBA 'undermines volunteers, our culture' and 'allows the union operational and management control.' Former CFA chief executive officer, Lucinda Nolan, said this agreement:

… was not going to make the organisation a better place. It is destructive and divisive. I could not stay and oversee the destruction of the CFA.

I think this has the potential to negatively impact the organisation, community safety, our volunteers, and our volunteer contribution.

Yet we have Labor members of parliament, because they have to support the union bosses, not standing up against this.

I also quote the former Labor Minister of Police and Emergency Services under the Bracks government. This is a Labor person who is actually standing up on principle. The former Labor minister said that the Firefighters Union:

… attitude to volunteers has often been dismissive. Many of its demands in its current dispute with the CFA and Trojan horses that would sideline CFA volunteers and undermine their interests, with little or no real benefit for the paid firefighters the UFU represents.

This is, remember, a former Labor minister in Victoria. He also said:

It would also undermine the operational authority of the CFA's Chief Officer and operational commanders as well as compromise the fiduciary responsibilities of the CFA's board under the Country Fire Authority Act.

This is so wrong; this is why this government is acting.

I represent an electorate that knows how important our volunteer firefighters are. In January 1994 we had horrific, catastrophic fires through the Sutherland Shire. We lost 91 buildings and houses in Como West, Bonnet Bay and Jannali. Como West Public School was lost; Como West Presbyterian church was lost. In Bangor we lost five houses, and at Alfords Point, where I was living at the time, we lost nine. Five thousand residents were evacuated and, tragically, there was one death. I can well remember being at the back of my house with flames coming towards me, standing next to my neighbour, and seeing a Rural Fire Service truck, armed with volunteers, coming down the hill. That is something I will never ever forget. And to think that we have Labor members trying to undermine that spirit of volunteerism, because they want to give more power to their union buddies. It is an absolute disgrace. Every single one of you stands condemned. I know you must do what your union bosses tell you, but listen to what your Victorian state minister did. She was prepared to stand up; she had the courage to resign in protest. They can make their speeches to get the tick and flick from their union bosses, but I hope when the vote comes on this legislation and when they call for the noes that those on that side will be silent.

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