Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my great pleasure to rise on this grievance debate on a very significant day here in Canberra. Today, with great pride, the Turnbull government has passed the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Bill 2014. This reform is incredibly significant. It delivers on a key election commitment to improve the accountability and transparency of registered organisations. It does a whole range of things. It establishes a new Registered Organisations Commission to oversee unions and employer groups, with strong powers to enforce the law. It means that officials from registered organisations will be subject to standards similar to those of company directors under the Corporations Law, including more thorough reporting and disclosure. There will be more significant penalties for those who break the law. The Registered Organisations Commission will help to ensure higher standards are reached and maintained in registered organisations across Australia. It will mean stronger laws to prevent honest members—honest men and women, including those who are members of unions—being ripped off. It will prevent a recurrence of the numerous scandals that we have seen from various registered organisations in recent years, including the Health Services Union, the Australian Workers Union and the National Union of Workers.

There are 47 unions and 63 employer groups in Australia, with annual revenue of $1.5 billion and assets worth $2.5 billion. They represent more than two million members who deserve to know that their organisation is acting in the best interests. Very regrettably, we have seen today and we saw last night in the Senate that Labor, including the member for Corio, who represents part of Geelong, has opposed this reform every step of the way. This is despite the undeniable evidence that the laws governing registered organisations were desperately in need of reform. Astonishingly, we have seen that Labor has even voted against enhanced whistleblower protections to protect union members who are the subject of mistreatment, who want to speak out, who want to call-out union officials in relation to fraudulent conduct and who want to say, 'If we are going to make a contribution,'—whether it is to our employer organisation or our union—'we expect those running these organisations to treat members' money with respect, not to engage in corruption and not to engage in fraud.' We have seen from Bill Shorten and Labor, once again, that they would rather defend union rorters than protect union members, the hardworking men and women across Australia who are members of unions.

We have seen in recent years, and this was highlighted in the trade union royal commission, many examples of some terrible rip-offs, which demonstrate why action was required. In 2015 the former Health Services Union national secretary, Craig Thomson, was found guilty of misusing $300,000 for his campaign to enter parliament and for various personal indulgences, which I will not detail because they are quite disgusting. His colleague Kathy Jackson fleeced more than $1 million through cash withdrawals and spending on holidays, artwork and other luxuries. Where did this money come from? It came from some the lowest paid workers in our community. It came from hardworking nurses, hardworking hospital cleaners, those who work in aged care and disability and other health workers. They pay annual fees to be represented, but instead they were robbed. Members opposite are smirking about this, but it is a very, very serious matter.

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