George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For more than 200 days now, 180 workers have been locked out of the Oaky North mine in Central Queensland. While there has been some disgraceful behaviour from unionists on the picket line, the reality is a lot of these workers just want to get back to work and let the union and company negotiate the new enterprise agreement. Last week, I told Glencore's chief operating officer that I thought they should end the lockout. I think both sides need to stop this industrial warfare and sort this matter out through the Fair Work Commission, which was set up to mediate these disputes. I note that one of the workers' complaints at the heart of the dispute is that mining companies are casualising their workforce. This issue concerns me deeply. I believe in free enterprise. No-one could describe me as a socialist, but it is morally wrong for a worker to be contracted on a site as a casual employee, yet work the same hours, the same days and the same shifts as full-time employees and for that situation to continue for years on end. It affects their family life, it affects their ability to get finance and, ultimately, it affects their mindset around job security. They have none. Mining companies need to end this practice now. I'm pleased that the new minister responsible for workplace relations, the member for Reid, has reached out to me on this matter and I will be impressing upon him the need for legislation to fix this casualisation issue and end the Oakey North lockout.