Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the vile and, frankly, shocking behaviour of people who should know better. Over recent months, industrial action by the CFMEU has created an unenviable position for workers, many of whom live in my electorate of Capricornia and are trying to work and support their families at the Oakey Creek coalmine near Tieri in the electorate of the member for Flynn. For roughly 100 days, CFMEU workers have been locked out of their workplace until an agreement can be reached in their EBA negotiations. Some of these locked-out workers have been caught hurling verbal abuse more vile than I have ever encountered in all my years. There have been threats to inflict damage to other workers' homes and properties, threats to run them off the road and, in the worst cases, even threats to their children. My office has been inundated by people with complaints about this, and it is just not right. This behaviour is un-Australian and does their cause no favours.

But what has been worse through this has been the utter ignorance of those opposite and their Queensland Labor state colleagues. Comments from the member for Bendigo yesterday and the Leader of the Opposition and local state members last week showed who the Labor Party is working for. The CFMEU owns those opposite. I encourage the decent, law-fearing members opposite to stand with me and those on this side in condemning— (Time expired)