Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am a proud member of a trade union, and I have been for a long time. Our country has a strong history of trade unions—people coming together in their workplaces to have a say and to have a working relationship with their employers. Over 100 years ago, those workers came together and said that they also wanted to have a political voice, and that was how the Labor Party was formed in this country. Today, the Labor Party continues to have a strong relationship with the trade union movement. In many ways, the Labor Party continues to be the political voice for the Labor movement, and I am really proud of that.

But, on the election of this government, we knew very quickly that this government would do whatever it could to take down its political opponents—to divide and try and conquer the labour movement. Over the last couple of months—in fact, since the election of this government—good union people, workers, have had their views and values challenged and thrown into question as we have seen union and Labor leaders dragged into royal commissions by this government. This government has tried to pull down its political opponents. This government has tried to politicise a forum which should be used for the most serious of grievances. Today, we have discovered how closely the person at the centre of that royal commission is linked to the Liberal Party. He is the keynote speaker at a Liberal Party fundraiser. This government and the way in which it is corrupting the union movement—(Time expired)