Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

You're eating into my time.

Honourable members interjecting—

The Leader of the Opposition visited this picket line and stated that workers who were simply going about their business were told that union members were going to attack them with a crowbar and even do inexplicable things to their children. How about freedom from simple abuse? Once again the examples of abuse from Oakey Creek are unrepeatable in parliament. But there are many more. At Sydney's Barangaroo building site a lone CFMEU official has called Lend Lease employees and even a female police officer 'dogs', 'scum', 'lower than a paedophile grub' and much worse. Before the union movement and its political lackeys in the Labor Party come into this place and lecture us in long motions on the attack of freedom represented by a simple regulation on flags, they should look at themselves and the attacks that their officials are perpetrating in this country every single day. I ask the question of those opposite: who of those opposite have actually worked on a building site?

Honourable members interjecting—

Great, so you've all worked on building sites, excellent, terrific. Member for Moreton, come on, you are a solicitor.

An honourable member: So are you!

I am a barrister and I have worked on a building site.

An honourable member: Do you have a ticket?

No, I don't have a ticket. But the problem with those opposite, the CFMEU and its predecessor the BLF is they consistently believe in this concept of no ticket, no start.

An honourable member: Hear Hear!

Hear hear the honourable member says over here.

An honourable member: Safety first, mate.

It has nothing to do with safety. No ticket no start is an absolute attack on freedom of association, an attack that the CFMEU continues to perpetrate time and time again, the same organisation that constantly is criticised by the Federal Court for consistent breaches of the industrial laws of this country. There are 77 CFMEU representatives before the courts facing a total of 865 alleged contraventions.

Mr Rob Mitchell interjecting—

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