Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, isn’t it the case that from today, the first day of the government’s war on workers, nearly four million Australian employees completely lose their rights in unfair dismissal? Isn’t it also the case that from today all 10 million Australian employees are at risk of being unfairly dismissed without a remedy because of the so-called ‘operational reasons’? Prime Minister, doesn’t this just mean that from today Australian employees can be sacked, sacked unfairly and sacked for any reason or no reason?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the question is no. The truth is that today marks the introduction of legislation that will continue the process of economic reform that is so necessary to maintain the economic growth of this country. I ask a rhetorical question of the opposition: why is it that this economy has performed so well? It is because of ongoing—

Opposition Member:

Opposition member interjecting—

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, did you! Can we have that again? It is because they did. Oh, deary me, I have been in total ignorance of that fact for 10 years and so have 20 million Australians! These reforms are not extreme; these reforms are measured improvement to the labour market laws of this country. Now that they are implemented we will still have a labour market that is more highly regulated than the labour market of New Zealand or the United Kingdom. The truth is that this country’s continued economic prosperity is dependent upon having people in charge who have the courage to continue the process of reform. By his question, the Leader of the Opposition has demonstrated that he lacks the courage to embrace the reforms that are needed for Australia’s future.