Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

Maybe he is! Last week, they held a union summit—run by the unions, for the unions—which failed to deliver a single thing to address the cost-of-living pressures on families and businesses. Instead of addressing the cost of living, they want to reintroduce industry-wide bargaining, industry-wide disputes and strikes, which will ultimately lead to higher unemployment, lower profitability and a negative impact overall on the Australian economy. So, while the government and the minister at the table are busy backslapping each other for their union talkfest, businesses across the country are no closer to getting the policies they're crying out for. The Prime Minister made a personal decision to invite CFMEU boss Christy Cain to the summit—a summit which discussed the role of women in the workplace. Mr Cain has previously promoted criminal activity in the CFMEU, telling his members, 'Laws need to be broken; you're going to get locked up.' He's been charged with assault for belting someone. He's been found in contempt by the Supreme Court of Victoria. He even described John Setka as 'one of the most fair dinkum people in this country'. Whilst Australians struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, this Prime Minister is focused on giving this misogynistic thug a platform, and Australians deserve better. That's a captain's call, it sits on the Prime Minister's head and it's a captain's call that he needs to explain. This Christy Cain previously launched a strident public defence of John Setka after John Setka launched a vulgar attack on domestic violence advocacy hero Rosie Batty. If the actions of John Setka were bad enough to kick him out of the Labor Party, why on earth were the people who defended him invited to contribute to discussions about the safety of women in the workplace last week? This is the thug who said:

If you're not at the table, you're part of the menu.

I'm not part of any menu. The women in this place are not part of any menu. That was a misogynistic slur, and it's a slur that not one single member of the government has had the courage to condemn. We've had one hundred days of Labor and no action to fix these real cost-of-living pressures. (Time expired)

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