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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the current strike action by Qantas maintenance workers, which affects tens of thousands of Australians and international visitors, and to the fact that the maintenance workers’ agreement expired 18 months ago, in December 2006, but no strike action was taken until shortly after last year’s election. What is it about the Rudd government policies that has encouraged this and other unions to wait until after the election before taking strike action under this government?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There they are, the party of the Iraq war and of Work Choices. They have not changed their stripes one bit. They have also indicated by their votes in this place that, should they win the next election, guess what will be back? Work Choices. And if they win the next election what will be back? AWAs. They have not changed their stripes on any of this.

It has been clear-cut in the government’s position on industrial relations that we will establish a fair and flexible industrial relations system for the future of this nation. We believe in tipping the scales in favour of working Australians, which is why we have done what we have through the budget measures. A typical young family will be some $52 a week better off, against the $2.50 a week that those opposite offer in part, depending on who you believe on their excise policy. Secondly, and critically, to help working Australians under financial pressure we have changed the industrial relations laws of Australia so that everyone—not just some people—will have their rights protected. This government stands by the industrial relations changes that we have made. They are in the interest of working Australians and working families, and the last time I looked they were fully endorsed by the Australian people at the last election.

Of course we will monitor closely what happens in relation to the Qantas dispute. There has of course been a range of disputes with Qantas over the years and a lot of difficult negotiations. We will watch this closely. We understand fully the impact on the airline and the services it provides to Australians and to Australia’s tourism industry, which has been doing it very tough recently. That is why the government in part has decided to back the Queensland government in the measures it has adopted in support of the tourism industry in Queensland. On that question, I thank the member for Leichhardt for his strong representations for the tourism interests of North Queensland in particular.