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

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Would the Acting Prime Minister please update the House on progress made by the government in replacing Work Choices and analysing its effects on working families? How important is it to provide certainty and stability in the workplace relations system and to provide for job security?

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, as we draw to the end of another sitting fortnight in the federal parliament—and an interesting sitting fortnight it has been. It started with the memoirs of the member for Higgins, was inclusive of a change of leadership with a new Leader of the Opposition, encompassed a gaffe filled start by the new shadow Treasurer, and today gave us, most remarkably, the spectre of an opposition gagging its own suspension motion and appointing the member for O’Connor to be in charge of Liberal Party tactics in this place—a remarkable week in Australian politics.

I am asked, at the end of this remarkable fortnight in Australian politics, where we have seen these events emerge, about progress in the government’s agenda on workplace relations and getting rid of Work Choices. Can I remind the House that the government has already delivered the end of Australian workplace agreements through its transition act and before the end of the year we will introduce into this parliament the rest of the government’s Forward with Fairness agenda. That agenda will introduce fairness and balance back into Australian workplaces—a safety net that people can rely on, a fair bargaining system, a new industrial umpire and a fair system for unfair dismissals. We know the history of Work Choices and Australian workplace agreements is one of rip-offs. We know from the data that 63 per cent of Australian workplace agreements cut penalty rates, 52 per cent cut shift loadings and 51 per cent cut overtime.

I am asked by the member for Cunningham about progress on analysing the impact of Work Choices on working families. At the end of this sitting fortnight I regret to inform the House that a new analysis is not available. I had hoped that with the publication of the member for Higgins’s memoirs we would have the inside story of Work Choices and we would have access, finally, to the inside information about how much the Howard government knew about how bad Work Choices was. I even went to the trouble of getting a discounted copy of the member for Higgins’s book out of the remainders bin at a bookshop. It cost me slightly over $30—discounted from $55. The bookshop proprietor said to me, ‘If you picked out one that was signed I’d give you 10 bucks to take it out of the shop!’ But the one I picked out of the bin was not signed so I actually had to part with $30 for it, but not $55. Having parted with the money to help the member for Higgins’s book sales, to help him with his royalties—I am a generous woman—I looked—

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will sign it for $10. Come round here!

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

Well, he is offering to sign it and then I can give it to someone and give them 10 bucks to take it as well. Despite my act of generosity in supporting the member for Higgins’s income stream, I had a good look at it and the words ‘Work Choices’ were not mentioned once—not once! Writing the history of the Howard government, you do not mention Work Choices. Purporting to write about the last term of the Howard government, 2004 to 2007, you do not write ‘Work Choices’ in there.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order which goes to relevance. How is any of this piffle relevant to the question?

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat. The Acting Prime Minister has the call.

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

I was asked about updates to analysis on Work Choices and I thought that the member for Higgins’s book might be of use in that regard, but unfortunately it was not. The member for Higgins’s book, though, does take the opportunity to chide the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Wentworth, on tax policy. That is an interesting addition to the member for Higgins’s book. To quote The Merchant of Venice, I suspect the member for Higgins knows that all that glistens is not gold and he has worked out that the member for Wentworth’s claims to economic responsibility are as fraudulent as fool’s gold itself. Can I also say that I do have good news for the House, on the question of new analysis, of the impact—

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Get back to the book!

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

Get back to the book!

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! I am pleased that there is some common hilarity, but it would assist the chair if the Acting Prime Minister could address the question and start on the downward spiral to the end of her answer. The member for Higgins should not encourage her.

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

I am doing everything I can to help the member for Higgins with those sales, because I do think it is demeaning that it is in the remainder bin so quickly after publication. I am happy to help push the book. I am in a position to advise the House that a new analysis of Work Choices will shortly be available. The member for Higgins promised us a sequel, and here it is, the sequel to the Costello memoirs, ‘My Role in Work Choices’, and this time the co-author is the HR Nicholls Society!

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

Order! The Acting Prime Minister will bring her answer to a close.

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

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paperthere is only so much we can do to help the member for Higgins.