Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The government's latest attack on workers is so ridiculous that when I first heard about it, I thought, 'Surely it's gotta be a joke; it's not the flags.' That is the latest three-word slogan from the knuckle draggers opposite. But you have got to sit there and ask: why could this not be a joke? How does the government really think that sending the ABCC goons out to wage war with the Eureka Stockade flag is something that is going to embed themselves in Australian culture? The Eureka flag is so strong, so deep in our psyche that the Australian cricketers sing after they win a game:

Under the Southern Cross I Stand

A sprig of wattle in my hand,

A native of my native land,

Australia you little beauty

That comes from the Flag of the Southern Cross by Henry Lawson. But what are they going to say now?

Under the Southern Cross I can't stand

For fear of the ABCC goons with their balaclavas and dogs in hand

Attacking workers and flags across the land

The Turnbull government idiocy is out of hand.

That is probably more appropriate than what we're seeing with the attack on the flag. This flag was first used in 1854 in Ballarat as a symbol of resistance of goldminers during the rebellion. The flag is a symbol of solidarity and unity. The people who defended the original flag came from about 40 nations around the world, and, beneath that original flag, the leader of the Ballarat Reform League, Peter Lalor, swore by the Southern Cross to 'stand by one another and fight to defend rights and liberties'. The flag stands for the great Australian values of democracy, the right to be heard and a fair go—things that are synonymous with union values. So it's not hard to see why our great unions identify with this symbol, one that ensures that all Aussies have their rights and liberties protected at work. The unions have been proudly sporting and flying the Eureka flag for decades.

But what the ABCC is doing is an absolute dog act, designed to crush Australian workers rather than look out for them. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that the dodgy ABCC has much better things to be doing than going on a witch-hunt for flag stickers. Maybe they should try and clean up the mess that they created from old dodgy Hadgkiss and co when they were deliberately misrepresenting the rule of law.

In 2016 the construction sector had the third-highest mortality rate, outdoing its 10-year average by almost five per cent. Since the ABCC started in 2005, worksite deaths and serious injuries have gone up, not down—up, not down. So this dodgy practice that this government supports is actually impacting workers' safety. Yet they sit there and laugh and think that it's great. In 2016 alone, 35 workers died on Australian construction sites, making up almost 20 per cent of workplace deaths in that year.

But never fear! The government has concocted an elaborate plan to distract from their inaction in securing our workplaces. Rather than fighting for workplace safety at the forefront of workplaces, the government is preoccupied with a dangerous sticker. Something we know those opposite have never seemed to be able to wrap their heads around is the importance of safe workplaces. It's baffling that they turn a blind eye while Australian workers are forced to do their jobs in unsafe conditions with no protections from the hazards on sites and the risks to their lives, day in and day out.

We on this side believe that workers have the right to go to work in safe environments, without the fear that they're not going to make it home for dinner or not make it home that night to see their families again. I know this at a personal level. My son-in-law is a construction worker. I've never been associated with the CFMEU, but I tell you what: I'll stand up for them 110 per cent of the time, because I want to make sure he gets home to see my granddaughter. You might not think that's important, but I do, and every family out there that's at risk because this government's focus is on destroying stickers and not standing up for safe workplaces will know exactly what I'm saying. This whole debacle is just an ABCC witch-hunt, a government distraction to cover up their lack of action to protect Australian workers, because what better protects construction site workers from unsafe workplaces? Getting rid of the dangerous stickers from their helmets, according to this lot!

The government doesn't know what it wants. It preaches freedom of speech left, right and centre, and now is trying to restrict the rights of people to wear union logos or to display the Eureka flag. Do your job for once, government. Stand up and protect the safety of workers in the construction industry. End your witch-hunts. Get out of your offices and actually do something for Australian workplaces and workers.

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