Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is a great day for Australian jobs, particularly in the construction sector. I rise to celebrate how our government is getting on with the job of implementing our national economic plan and keeping Australians safe and secure. When there is a problem in the construction industry, it flows through to our whole economy, particularly in Victoria, where construction costs are some 30 per cent higher because of lawlessness in the construction industry and the conduct of union bosses. That is why today the legislation has passed in the Senate. We have restored the Australian Building and Construction Commission—a vital piece of economic reform.

We are getting on with the job of our national plan for infrastructure; we have passed our superannuation changes; the registered organisations bill has passed the parliament; and we have delivered a personal tax cut to 500,000 middle-income Australians. We have delivered some $20 billion in budget repair, making bank CEOs more answerable to the public. And we have legislated to protect our wonderful volunteer firefighters from union takeovers, which is an absolute disgrace. The fact that the Labor Party did what it did and deserted our firefighters is a shame on Labor. We are so proud of how we are standing up for Australian workers, putting Australian workers first, looking after our economy and delivering vital economic reform.