Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, representing the Minister for Employment. Will the minister inform the House how the government will maintain the rule of law in our workplaces. What obstacles stand in the way?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Durack for her question. She, like me and like everybody on this side of the House, actually wants to end the thuggery, the intimidation, of the union movement in the workplace here in Australia—unlike the other side of the House, which has been prepared to tolerate that kind of behaviour from the union movement on worksites around Australia. In fact, the Leader of the Opposition wanted to 'bottle a bit of the spirit' of the Maritime Union of Australia last year. That is what he said about the way the Maritime Union of Australia behaves. He said, 'I wish we could bottle a bit of the spirit here,' at the conference he spoke to two years ago.

This side of the House actually takes thuggery and intimidation and illegal behaviour on work sites in Australia seriously, and that is why—

Ms Chesters interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo will desist!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

we have initiated the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, opposed by the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms Burke interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Chisholm will desist!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is why we initiated the royal commission into illegal behaviour—

Ms Chesters interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo is warned!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

in the trade union movement, tepidly supported at the last minute by the Leader of the Opposition, who had to be dragged kicking and screaming to it. But we also have tried to protect and support honest union leaders by introducing the Registered Organisations Commission so that matters like the Health Services Union can never happen again. And last night in the Senate the Labor Party voted that bill down. Last night the Labor Party opposed the introduction of the Registered Organisations Commission, which would have supported the poorest workers, like those in the Health Services Union who were ripped off by their previous union secretary—

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on my left and right!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a former member of this House, the former member for Dobell, who was supported—

Mr Giles interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Scullin is not in his place.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

steadfastly by the Labor Party throughout the 43rd Parliament. And that is not all. This Leader of the Opposition, in response to claims about thuggery and intimidation and illegal behaviour by the CFMEU, which we take seriously, said that—

Ms Butler interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith is warned!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

if Melbourne work sites have bikies who are also members of the CFMEU, they should be discouraged from wearing their colours at construction sites. That was his response to thuggery and intimidation in the workforce. Plain-packaging thuggery was fine. That was fine, but the bikies associated with this criminal behaviour were not allowed to attend work sites with their colours on.

Last week the Maritime Union of Australia had some very bad times with one of their members attacking a journalist. The Leader of the Opposition's response was that he had not seen the story on the front page of The Australian newspaper. He had not seen this story—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No props! Put it down.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

in a major daily newspaper of the News Limited stable in Australia. He had not seen it. I table it, Madam Speaker.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on left and right!