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

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. I refer the minister to the approach by Mr Andrew Grech to former clients of his law firm 'asking that they agree to waive their right to legal privilege attaching to lawyer-client communication so that we can respond to the public allegations that have been made' about the Australian Workers Union. In his capacity as minister with responsibility for registered organisations, including the Australian Workers Union, what steps has he taken to ensure the secretary of the AWU, Mr Paul Howes, complies with this request?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been asked a question about some comments in the media What I have done to ensure that unions and employer organisations are complying with the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act is: I was proud to sponsor the strongest laws that have ever been passed in the history of the Commonwealth. Let me just remind the House. Those opposite need to be reminded because they voted against what I am about to say. Of course they do not want to say that they voted against it, but the record reflects that. What I have done to approve accountability of registered organisations is, first of all, in the legislation passed on 29 June this year, improved the Fair Work Australia investigation process. We have increased the civil penalties. We have required that registered organisations disclose remuneration and board fees paid to officials. We have required that officials disclose material personal interests. We have required that officials of registered organisations undertake training in financial management.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question was: what steps has he taken to ensure Paul Howes complies with the request to waive legal professional privilege? What steps has the minister taken? He should—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Completely improper!

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Banks is being improper as well.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. With every single question asked by those opposite, they stand and raise a point of order—seeking to repeat the question, to change the question or to add to the question. It is quite disorderly and it is done as a conscious strategy by those opposite to break up question time.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not enter into a long debate. The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. We have now introduced a very stringent time for question time and continual points of order eat into that. I believe the Deputy Leader of the Opposition's question warrants an answer.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite are more predictable than the outcome of a race between Black Caviar and Mr Ed. All they ever want to do is attack trade unions. Those opposite are notorious union baiters. Why do they hate unions? Because they hate anyone who stands up for workers. They have never voted to improve the standard of registered organisations.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will return to the question before the chair.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been asked about registered organisations and what I have done to make sure that good, strong organisations like the Australian Workers Union comply with registered organisations rules. What I have to hand—because my crystal ball did tell me that the opposition would do their usual union baiting—is a quote about registered organisations and what the government has been doing:

The Government’s changes to the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act are clearly warranted and industry is supportive of the reforms. Registered organisations play a very important role … but recent events have highlighted deficiencies in the current laws.

Memo to self: the 'current laws' were the Abbott laws. So we have increased the penalties. They say it is appropriate. What is really good is that the person who said it is not—

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I put it to you that the minister is defying your ruling. He has not answered the question.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was a very long one. You raised many issues to respond to, including issues about union registration and the like. The minister will conclude his answer.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I back up my previous point of order. There have been a number of occasions where, contrary to the standing orders, those opposite raise points of order for one of their questions not once but twice. That is clearly out of order. It is clearly designed just to disrupt question time.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my answer about registered organisations and what I have been doing, I refer not only to the legislation. It is only the people on this side, plus the crossbenchers, who did anything; those opposite cried crocodile tears about registered organisations but, when it came to actually voting for reforms, did they? No. They could not do that. But we know that they don't do their homework, don't we? I was quoting from Innes Willox. But we do not need much reminder about the homework they don't do. Who is going to forget National Lampoon's Vacation last night on 7.30? Not only don't they do their homework on registered organisations; the Leader of the Opposition could not even read BHP's statement.

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

I have a supplementary question for the minister. Has the minister referred these public allegations about the misuse of union members' funds in the AWU to Fair Work Australia or any other authority; and if not, why not?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am grateful for that question. I genuinely mean it in this case. When we talk about the matters to which the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is referring—I note that when there is a hard question Mr Abbott leaves it to the deputy opposition leader; at least she will ask the question—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will get to the question before the chair.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In terms of the ancient matters to which I believe the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is referring, I can report that, whilst I was a very junior official for some of the time, I do know that my predecessors in the leadership of the AWU detected the problem and reported the problem—they reported it to three different police jurisdictions and they also reported it to the regulator. They also commissioned Ernst & Young to do a report, which was provided to the regulator. They took all steps.

The union detected the problem and they took all steps. If the opposition leader or, rather, Deputy Opposition Leader—I was getting ahead of myself there, sorry—is saying that she has something new to offer then, by all means, put it forward. What I would say—I am trying to think of an elegant way of saying it—is, 'Put up or,' you know the rest, 'leave it'.

We do our job. We believe in the role of registered organisations. Not only do we do that; we on this side of the House believe in standing up for workers. That is why we do not support Ted Baillieu's cuts to TAFE. That is why we do not support Campbell Newman cutting 25,000 jobs.