Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. Would the minister update the House about the progress of the government’s substantive workplace relations reforms? What would be the effect of a return to the Howard government’s style of policies on workplace relations?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cunningham for her question. I know that she is interested in fairness and balance in Australian workplaces. I am asked about the progress of the government’s substantive workplace relations changes. Of course, the government have already delivered our transition act, which stopped the making of new Australian workplace agreements. In relation to the substantive legislation, we are doing the thing the Howard government refused to do—that is, we are consulting on the details to make sure that the legislation is right, not a complex mess. Not only are we going to be delivering the policies we promised the Australian people; we want to make sure that the legislation is in an appropriate form and not the sort of complex mess that caused confusion amongst employers and employees.

Of course, apart from bringing industrial relations extremism to this country, what we know came with the Howard government’s Work Choices changes was an avalanche—a blizzard—of advertising material. Just yesterday in the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations estimates hearing, we were told that the previous government spent a staggering $137 million on promoting Work Choices—$137 million ripped out of the purses and wallets of hardworking Australians to featherbed a desperate government and to try and prosecute its political agenda with money that ought to have come from the Liberal Party. This staggering total included $44 million on the first Work Choices advertising campaign, $58 million on the second Work Choices advertising campaign and $35 million on the employer adviser program.

I am asked: what would be the effect of a return to the Howard government’s workplace relations policies? Given that blizzard of advertising, it pays to recheck some of the things that were said in the Work Choices advertising by members opposite when they were in government. I would specifically seek to remind the House of the example of Billy. We used to hear a lot about Billy last year. Billy was a case study in the Work Choices propaganda. Billy was a minimum wage worker who lost all of his protected award conditions for not one cent of compensation: overtime, gone; penalty rates, gone; annual leave loading, gone—all of his award conditions without one cent of compensation. Of course, members opposite defended as fair and reasonable that a minimum wage worker should lose all of those award conditions for not one cent of compensation.

It amazes me, given their defence of that policy, why it never occurred to them in government: how did Billy pay for his petrol? How did Billy pay for his mortgage? How did Billy pay for his—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

‘He had a job,’ the Deputy Leader of the Opposition says—exactly what the Prime Minister said in defending Billy’s case as fair and reasonable. I thank her for her confirmation that driving people back to minimum wages with no award conditions is still Liberal Party policy. I thank her for that confirmation.

There we have it: a Liberal Party still committed to Work Choices. If the Liberal Party are still committed to Work Choices, they are committed to that rip-off of working people. All of the carry-on we have seen from members opposite about their supposed concerns about cost-of-living pressures on working Australians, supposed concerns about petrol, supposed concerns about childcare costs and supposed concerns about grocery costs—all of this melts away in an avalanche of hypocrisy given they are committed to minimum wage workers bearing the brunt of their industrial relations extremism.

Someone needs to explain to members opposite that the equation for working families is one that equals: what comes in in the pay packet and what goes out. As to what comes in in the pay packet, they believe in having laws which enable it to be cut for those in the workplace with the least bargaining power.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Simpkins interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Cowan!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The party of Work Choices cannot be heard to say they care about cost-of-living pressures on working families. They were the ones who brought that industrial relations extremism, which hurt so many—

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The country’s in great shape!

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I warn the member for Cowan!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Come in spinner! ‘The country’s in great shape.’ You still believe in Work Choices, don’t you! You cannot stop yourself calling out in support of it. The party of industrial relations extremism on display.

Chris Pearce (Aston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Would you remind the Deputy Prime Minister not to refer to you, please?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Deputy Prime Minister, along with all members, knows she has to refer her remarks through the chair.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I conclude on this: if I inadvertently indicated you may be an industrial relations extremist, Mr Speaker, I certainly apologise for that. We know where the industrial relations extremists are in this parliament and they are sitting over there.