Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

It is simply an incorrect contention. It is one that has been made before. In fact, I think during the Senate committee process on this bill the point was sought to be made—it's not a true point—that minor infractions of industrial law could lead to deregistration. That's absolutely not the case. In fact, when it was raised during the Senate committee process by members opposite and endorsed by them, they took issue with two proposed sections of the law—proposed sections 28F and 28G in the bill. What is most notable, I think, is that those two proposed sections in the current bill were put into the industrial law by Labor in 2009. They were put into the industrial law by their side of politics in 2009.

The government has absolutely no interest in having—and it is a ridiculous proposition to suggest otherwise—anything other than the most serious, repetitive lawbreaking ever resulting in deregistration. That is for a great number of reasons, including the fact that ultimately the question resides with a court as to whether or not it would be just in all the circumstances to deregister. The fact is that we have organisations at the moment, such as the CFMMEU, that are in such constant and repetitive breach of the laws of this country that nothing is able to be done about them.

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