Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. I refer the minister to an article appearing on the front page of the Australian today that details a New South Wales government led union raid on the Kurnell desalination plant building site. Given the minister’s refusal to comment yesterday, will the minister unequivocally condemn these actions, or should we take your continued silence as supporting these actions?

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

I thank the member for his question. I will say to him what I said to members of the media who asked me about this this morning. That is, everyone should obey the law. Of course everyone in their workplaces should obey the law. The work site that he refers to is a John Holland work site. There has been an ongoing legal dispute there about the nature of right of entry for occupational health and safety inspections. John Holland made the move into Comcare and there is a legal dispute about how right of entry in relation to occupational health and safety should be resolved in the circumstances where John Holland is covered by Comcare but contractors on the site are not direct employees of John Holland and consequently look to New South Wales for their workers compensation arrangements. That matter is before the Federal Court—from recollection it is the Federal Court, but it is certainly before a court and being argued through now. Obviously, I am not going to make a comment about that legal dispute, but the legal dispute is there and is to be resolved. I restate what I absolutely believe in and what my message would be to people in these circumstances and to people in all circumstances. That is, everyone should abide by the law.