Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to Mr Mark Anderson in my electorate whose insulation business has operated for 16 years with a permanent workforce of 15 people and now has no prospective work on the books. Prime Minister, is it a fact that such employers must pay redundant staff all their entitlements upon dismissal? Will such redundant employees have to expend these redundancy entitlements as provided in existing regulations prior to receiving the assistance the Prime Minister has identified today?

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

I thank the member for O’Connor for his question, as he raises the legitimate interests of a firm which has been affected by the government’s decision to cancel the Home Insulation Program. I would also, in response to the member for O’Connor’s question, draw his attention to the contents of the answer that I delivered earlier to the member for Fadden and referred to also in my answer to the member for La Trobe.

The second point I would make to the member for O’Connor is that he refers to, I am sure, a good firm that has been in the business, I think he said, for 16 years—is that correct? This program, the Home Insulation Program, has been in existence for about one year prior to its cancellation. So I would simply draw the honourable member’s attention to the fact that what has happened with that particular program, and the one which is envisaged to be introduced by 1 June this year, represents significant enhancements to the pre-existing business flows of firms which existed within this industry.

I can also say in response to the honourable member’s question that the normal provisions of Australia’s industrial relations law will prevail in the case of each firm under these circumstances. But I draw his attention in particular to those provisions which are contained in the government’s insulation worker adjustment package, which I outlined earlier today.