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

My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Will the minister guarantee that her Fair Work Bill will not destroy one Australian job?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Those on my right will come to order.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hockey interjecting

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

The member for North Sydney was very droll then. I did not hear the question. I will have to ask the member for Stirling to repeat the question.

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

Will the minister guarantee that her Fair Work Bill will not cost one Australian job?

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

I thank the ‘shadow minister for Work Choices’ for his question. I do find myself with some sympathy for his position, because clearly he has been instructed by those around him to go out and defend Work Choices—

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. We have heard constantly throughout this question time members on the other side addressing members on this side inappropriately. Standing order 64 is very specific about this.

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

The member for Pearce has a point of order. If I was able to hear the answer; if the chamber could be a little quieter—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Those on my left will come to order. The Deputy Prime Minister knows her obligation to refer to members by their parliamentary titles.

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

Amidst all the embarrassment amongst the Liberal Party members about references to Work Choices, can I say the following to the shadow minister: I do have some sympathy for his predicament. He has obviously been instructed to go out and cover up the fact that the position of the Liberal Party is Work Choices and always will be.

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order, clearly on relevance. The minister was asked a very straightforward question which could have been answered with yes or no. We understand her embarrassment—

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

Order! The member will resume his seat. The Deputy Prime Minister is responding to the question. As has been so in the past, the chair is not in a position to direct the type of answer that is given to questions. Whether those on my left are seeking a direct answer or not, the minister can respond in the manner she is.

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

As I was saying, I understand the difficulties confronting the shadow minister for whatever their policy is at the moment, but I can give the shadow minister a very clear guarantee. My very clear guarantee to the shadow minister is as follows: the Fair Work Bill offers workers greater job security than Work Choices, which was purpose designed to make it easier to sack employees and to enable their redundancy to be stripped away without a cent of compensation. What that means is that the Liberal Party, as the party of Work Choices, stand also as the party of job insecurity, because you believe that it is fair for workers to be sacked for no reason at all.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. It goes to relevance. The Deputy Prime Minister has refused to rule—

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

Order! The member for Dickson will resume his seat.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

The member for Dickson has made his point. His point of order is relevance.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

I am in a position to make a ruling. The Deputy Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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

The guarantee is that the Fair Work Bill is better for job security than Work Choices, which allowed people to be sacked for no reason. The other thing that I can absolutely guarantee to the member asking the question is that this is a government that is going to be honest with people about the economic circumstances confronting this nation. In terms of those economic circumstances, we have been clear with people that the global financial crisis and global recession are going to impact on employment in this country.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

No, the member for Dickson will resume his seat. I am listening to the Deputy Prime Minister and the relevance. The member for Dickson will resume his seat.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

The only point of order that the member for Dickson can make at this stage is on relevance, and I am in a position to make a ruling. The member for Dickson will resume his seat.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

No, the member for Dickson will resume his seat. The Deputy Prime Minister will resume her seat. Clearly there have been at least two occasions during this answer where the point of order about relevance has been raised. I have ruled on those points of order, and it can be taken that, having had my attention drawn to the point of order, I will listen to the answer in that manner. The approach by the member for Dickson can have been for only one reason, and that was the point of order on relevance. He does not necessarily, by the standing orders, have the opportunity to debate his point of order. I am in a position to rule. The Deputy Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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

I was saying that this is a government that will be honest with the Australian people about the outlook for employment. We are being honest with the Australian people about the global financial crisis and the global recession and the fact that our economy is not immune. What the Liberal Party are engaged in here is just a sleight of hand—the sleight of hand that they played every day up till the last election, where they said to the Australian people that Work Choices equal jobs growth and they forgot to mention the resources boom. Now, of course, desperately twisting and turning to justify their support for Work Choices, they are going to pretend that there is not a global financial crisis. Well, this is cheap—

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will resume her seat. I call the member for Sturt on a point of order.

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

This is not on relevance, Mr Speaker; it is under standing order 75, which is on tedious repetition and irrelevance. I ask you to sit the Deputy Prime Minister down.

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat. As I told him last year, that standing order does not relate to question time. Whilst I have encouraged him to speak to himself sotto voce, he might read his standing orders. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.

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

I had intended to conclude, but—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order!

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

Mr Speaker, can I conclude by saying this: these are difficult economic days. The Australian people—

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

I—

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can you guarantee Kevin’s job?

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

The member for Swan will leave the chamber for one hour under standing order 94(a).

The member for Swan then left the chamber.

I call the Deputy Prime Minister, in conclusion.

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

In conclusion, these are difficult days, and in these difficult days the government is investing in our economy and supporting jobs, something opposed every step of the way by the Liberal Party. Can I say to the Liberal Party: if you want to stand for Work Choices, have the honesty to just say it; do not feign an interest in Australian jobs when you voted against a $42 billion plan to support those jobs.