Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and I refer to the Prime Minister’s last answer. Why did the government impose Australian workplace agreements as a condition of university and TAFE funding? Given the government did impose the offering of Australian workplace agreements—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, we didn’t.

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

Order! The minister!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

as a condition of university and TAFE funding, why should—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Abbott interjecting

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

Order! The member will resume her seat. The Leader of the House will withdraw that statement.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I said that she was a liar and I withdraw that.

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has the call.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you Mr Speaker, and it is what you expect. But I will give the question another go.

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

The deputy leader will go to her question.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and it deserves an answer. Given the Prime Minister’s last answer, will the minister tell the House why the government imposed Australian workplace agreements—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We gave people a choice!

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

Order! The minister!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

as a condition of TAFE and university funding; and given that it did, why should anybody believe its reassurances about healthcare funding and nurses?

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

Mr Speaker—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The deputy leader has asked her question; the Prime Minister has the call.

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

The premise of the deputy leader’s question is wrong. There was no requirement; there was a condition that it be offered. There is a difference. I would say to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and all those who sit opposite: what happened in respect of university funding was that we overcame a longstanding practice of the academic unions which had required universities to conform to a particular approach. What we said as a condition of funding was that one of the options should be AWAs.

Let me emphasise that the conditions that apply in relation to the employment of nurses in our view is quite different and that is why we have absolutely no intention of introducing any conditions, either of the type contemplated in the question that I answered a few moments ago or indeed of the type that were introduced in relation to academics. We have no intention of doing that in relation to nurses.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Swan interjecting

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

The member for Lilley is on very thin ice.

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

I happen to take the view that nurses in this country, given their responsibilities and the onerous work they carry out, are grossly underpaid. I happen to think that state governments should be a lot more generous with the nurses of this country, and I would give some advice to the re-elected Premier of New South Wales: you ought to pay nurses more generously.

David Fawcett (Wakefield, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Small Business and Tourism. Would the minister inform the  House how the government’s workplace relations system is helping small business create more jobs. Minister, are there any threats to this jobs growth?

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wakefield for his question and his very strong support of small businesses in his electorate. I can tell him, and all members in the House, that Work Choices has cut red tape and has delivered the flexibility to enable small business to grow and to employ more people. One year on, Work Choices is still about job creation. It is about low levels of unemployment. It is about continued growth of real wages. Most importantly, it has been about getting rid of unfair dismissal and allowing small business to have the confidence to employ more people. I am talking about small business people like Mr Phil Connelly, a small business man from the Gold Coast. He has said: ‘Following the inception of Work Choices, I have employed six additional staff members. Staff are enjoying the flexibility of AWAs, which includes a number of financial incentives.’

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Brendan O’Connor interjecting

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

The member for Gorton is warned!

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Adams interjecting

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

The member for Lyons is warned!

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I repeat: this includes a number of financial incentives for hard work that cannot be offered under a traditional wage structure.

I am asked if there are any threats to this. I have to tell the House that there are very real threats because in 33 days time the national conference of the ALP will be held. That will decide their small business policy. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the member for Rankin have been wandering around the country making vague statements and pretending that they are listening to small business, when in fact we know that the only people they are listening to are Greg Combet and his mates—and he is on record as saying that there should be no exemptions to unfair dismissal.

I notice that, once again, the Leader of the Opposition has turned his back to us in question time. That means that he is actually turning his back on small business at the moment. Mr Speaker, through you, I ask the Leader of the Opposition: do you have the courage to face small business?

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Snowdon interjecting

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

Order! The member for Lingiari is warned!

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will repeat my question: does the Leader of the Opposition have the courage to face small business and ask small business if they want unfair dismissals reinstated? I think not.