Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister advise the House how workplace reform is ensuring the Australian economy stays strong and is the minister aware of any threats to our economy?

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 Casey for his question. I note that the unemployment rate in Casey stands at 4.2 per cent; 4.2 per cent is very good news for the people who live in Croydon, Lilydale and the other suburbs that the member for Casey so well represents in this place. Indeed I can also inform him that, since the introduction of Work Choices on 27 March, we have seen the creation of 205,000 jobs in Australia and significantly 184,000 of those jobs are full-time jobs for Australians. Also in the last six months we have seen some other interesting developments—for example, the signing in Adelaide of the one millionth Australian workplace agreement and more than 2,000 employee and union collective agreements entered into.

What this does is contradict, with factual data, the false and misleading claim that the Leader of the Opposition makes that Australians cannot enter into a collective agreement. Two thousand collective agreements have been entered into. What this illustrates once again is what this government believes, and that is that Australian employers and employees should have choice in relation to their industrial arrangements in the workplace. This stands in stark contrast to what the Leader of the Opposition has reconfirmed as one of the central planks of the ALP’s workplace relations policy on the weekend: the no ticket, no start part of that policy. Indeed, one of the ALP stalwarts—in fact, one of the new ALP presidents—Mike Rann, the Premier of South Australia, was supporting the ban on non-union journalists from reporting on the Australian Labor Party conference. This is what Mr Rann said—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order that goes to relevance.

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

I am listening carefully to the minister. I believe he is in order.

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

Obviously, the member for Grayndler does not want this heard. As I recall, he was one of those at the doorstop who had not heard and feigned ignorance about this yesterday. Can I tell him what Mr Rann said? I am sure he would like to hear what an ALP president says.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

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

I remind the member for Grayndler that I have just ruled on a point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I go to the point of order, under standing order 86. Under standing order 104, in what way is this minister responsible for Premier Mike Rann?

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

I will make two comments to the member for Grayndler. Firstly, if he wishes to ask the Speaker questions, he will do so at the end of question time. Secondly, the minister was asked about workplace reform and the minister is in order.

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

When Mr Rann was asked about this ban on non-union members of the media reporting on the ALP conference in Adelaide, Mr Rann said: ‘If you join a union, you’ll be allowed in.’ That is a closed shop. It is illegal now, but this is a harbinger of what we would expect to see if the ALP were elected to government in Australia. It is equally weak of the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition. All the Leader of the Opposition could say about this ridiculous ban was: ‘We stand shoulder to shoulder with the union movement in our struggle for industrial relations.’ The Leader of the Opposition said about Mr Rann on Sunday: ‘If the future has a face, it’s Mike’s.’ If this is the face of the future, heaven help the economy of Australia! This is a return to the closed shop; a return to no ticket, no start; a return to compulsory unionism in Australia. Indeed, if Mr Rann and the Leader of the Opposition get their way, then the only choice for employees and workers in Australia will be: ‘Join a union if you want to get a job’—and that is absolutely no choice for Australian workers. It is very simple: a future under Mr Rann and under this weak Leader of the Opposition is a future in which there is no choice.