Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry representing the Minister for Employment. Will the minister explain to the House why it is important to restore the rule of law to building sites in Australia? How will the government's policy in relation to the ABCC and the Registered Organisation Commission help bring this about?

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

I thank the member for Grey for his question and I know that he like I, and all members of this side of the House, are absolutely delighted with the fact that the Registered Organisations Commission bill passed in the early hours this morning. Full congratulations should go to Senator Michaelia Cash from Western Australia, who has done a sterling job to drive through a bill that the last Senate failed to pass on, I think, at least two occasions—it might have been three occasions—and in fact was the cause of the double dissolution election. The Senate has done its job, which is to consider the Registered Organisations Commission bill, amend it where necessary and send it back to the House of Representatives. So it is a red-letter day in industrial relations in Australia and it proves once again that the coalition is on the side of the workers and the Labor Party is on the side of the union bosses. It took us to stand up for the two million members of registered organisations in Australia. It took the coalition to stand up for the 60,000 volunteers in the Country Fire Association against the United Firefighters Union. It took this side of politics to stand up for—

Mr Rob Mitchell interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McEwen is warned.

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

the owner-operators of transport businesses against the TWU. Over and over again, it is the coalition who stand up for the small business men and women against trade union bosses, who always put themselves first and Australia last. Last Friday, we saw two union leaders charged with 172 counts of fraud against their union, against their workers, totalling $870,000—people being robbed of their own money by two union leaders. Eventually their names will come out, and it will be fascinating to see whether members on the other side of the House rush to their defence—as one of them might have done in their maiden speech not that long ago. We will see, no doubt.

The reality is that the work is not finished. The ABCC must be passed in the next sitting fortnight. It must be passed if the job is to be completed of cleaning up unions and cleaning up building sites. It is critically important. Just today we found out the CFMEU in Adelaide holds the record for the most number of fines of any state in Australia. There have been over $1 million worth of fines levied against the CFMEU in South Australia in the last year or two by the Fair Work Commission. Nigel Hadgkiss, the Fair Work Commissioner, said:

… despite significant penalties being handed down, repeated and deliberate contraventions of workplace laws continue to be a common feature at worksites.

It is time for Labor to stand up for the worker and pass the ABCC.