Jackie Kelly (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, you will recall that earlier this year the CFMEU trespassed on my home site to bully my husband over the federal government’s Work Choices package. Now they are attempting to intimidate friends and colleagues of mine. Last Friday, Jim Aitken, who is a known Liberal and a friend and associate of mine, had his work premises disrupted by an ugly union ‘Your rights at work’ campaign. Two double-decker buses bused the unionists in to stand over his real estate offices and protest against the federal government’s Work Choices laws. As usual, they arrived not to arbitrate with a cooperative, well-meaning employer who is highly regarded in the local community but to defame a known Liberal who associates with me, with the press in tow.

The unions do not want to settle disputes with employers to the advantage of employees. They want to bully Liberals, and hence this government, into backing away from the reduction of union power contained in our Work Choices legislation. I stand by my Liberal colleague and friend Jim Aitken, who successfully took over a failed real estate agency and gave it new life and continuing jobs for existing employees who would have otherwise lost their jobs. One of these existing employees has resigned after 12 months with Jim Aitkin and has immediately gone to the unions. Instead of helping her with an unlawful dismissal action, which is what happens if someone is bullied with the threat of the sack if they do not sign an AWA, they organised the pathetic rent-a-crowd in Penrith with the local state member desperate to find some topic to run on in the next state election—given that Morris Iemma has made a mess of everything else. And you know the funny thing: Jim Aitken does not use AWAs. He would not know an AWA if he fell over one. (Time expired)