Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister update the House on the training opportunities available to employees under Work Choices. Are there any alternative policies?

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for La Trobe for his question. I note that the unemployment rate in his electorate of La Trobe is 3.7 per cent, due to the good economic management of this government. In response to his question, it is a fact that the members opposite and the union movement continue to persist with their misleading and ridiculous claims that people will not be able to receive the occupational health and safety training provided by unions. As I have pointed out in this place on a number of occasions, occupational health and safety remains a state and territory responsibility. It seems that the only person these days who does not believe that, and is incapable of understanding that, is the Leader of the Opposition. First, we had the email from the member for Lilley, acting on the advice of the member for Perth, which said that this training would continue to be provided. Then yesterday we had the collective agreement entered into by Bill Shorten’s union, the Australian Workers Union, which provided not only for occupational health and safety training but also that the workers would get paid leave to go and do that training.

I came across some more information about this matter overnight in a document called the SafetyNet Journal. The SafetyNet Journal features in it each week a frequently asked question. This week’s question is quite interesting. The question is:

Does the ‘WorkChoices’ legislation mean a rep—

a union rep—

cannot attend a union OHS rep’s course?

The answer is:

No, it does not.

It goes on to explain:

The changes to the Federal Workplace Relations Act (‘WorkChoices’) do NOT affect an OHS rep ... right to attend an initial/refresher course of their choice, including courses run by unions ...

This is very interesting advice because the SafetyNet Journal is published by the Victorian Trades Hall Council. If you go to the Victorian Trades Hall web site and look up this week’s question, you can get the answer to it. I note also that the journal says:

If you have any questions or need help—

the Leader of the Opposition might listen to this—

with any OHS related issue, Ask Renata.

I suggest he give Renata a ring before he makes foolish comments in future. This ridiculous situation, which the Leader of the Opposition maintains, just shows that he and some of the unions will stoop to any lengths in order to make a political point, including recently making a political stunt out of the death of a worker, something about which Neil Mitchell, in his column in the Herald Sun this morning, had this to say:

We were tricked. This case was orchestrated and promoted by the CFMEU to further its cause. The union used the body of a dead member to embarrass John Howard.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Brendan O’Connor interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Gorton.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member ought to listen to this:

It was a monstrous piece of black-hearted spin-doctoring and deserves to be treated with a new level of disgust by anybody with compassion or morality.

I could not agree more. I table the article.

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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his comments in the House about the 40 people in Mount Druitt employed by Spotlight on the 2c an hour Spotlight AWA. Isn’t it the case that in Mount Druitt there are nearly 600 employees employed in the retail industry on the relevant award or certified agreement who, if they work at Coles or Kmart and work the same hours as Mrs Harris, are $119 to $126 a week better off than those on the 2c an hour Spotlight AWA? Won’t the government’s industrial relations legislation force the other retailers in Mount Druitt to join the 2c an hour wages race to the bottom?

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

No, and I might point out that Mrs Harris is employed in Coffs Harbour, not Mount Druitt.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It’s a race to the bottom.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is warned.