House debates

Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Matters of Public Importance

Youth Unemployment

3:43 pm

Photo of Keith PittKeith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party, Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Hansard source

No, I will not have high expectations. I certainly will not have them again. The member for Cunningham came in to talk about worker exploitation. But, as you know, Mr Deputy Speaker, the people on this side actually did something about worker exploitation. I know because I was one of them. We delivered Taskforce Cadena. We delivered the Migrant Workers Taskforce. We delivered the extra $20 million to Fair Work to help them crack down on the people that are doing the wrong thing. Now, I did not see any sign of the unions, not one. What we saw from those opposite, when they were in government for many years, were more reports—more reports, more reports, more reports. We have taken real action.

Once again, when we look at the frontbench of those opposite, what we see is the 'Ministry for Complaints'. I cannot let an opportunity go by. I was in here with the shadow minister for agriculture earlier when he was talking about the backpacker tax. I said to the shadow minister: 'You've really taken an opportunity now. This is about your time in the sun. It's not about an outcome for the people we are here to represent; it's about you.' Where has he been? He has been hiding away in the far corner, with nothing to say, for a long period of time. In fact, he dragged out a list of rural members. He was a few short. He got to 20. It was not quite enough. I did suggest to the shadow minister for agriculture that I would send him a map so he could perhaps use that to help him find his way in rural Australia to actually talk about what agreed positions mean, the NFF—all those types of things. We took months of consideration, months to talk to those stakeholders, and what happens? They blow it up. What do they come up with? 10½ per cent. That did not come from anything real. You just made it up.

Comments

No comments