Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday, Jasmyn Smith visited Parliament House. Jasmyn is a 21-year-old electrical apprentice from Launceston. She was here for National TAFE Day to speak to MPs about issues faced by young apprentices. Jasmyn is a concerned young citizen seeking to contribute to the national debate on skills and education. She is exactly the sort of person we should be welcoming to this place, but when Jasmyn visited the parliament she was immediately ordered by a security guard to cover up her clothing and, if she could not do that, to take off her top and wear it inside out. Why? It was because her top bore the logo of the CEPU, the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union, of which Jasmyn is a proud member. Jasmyn ended up wearing a borrowed jacket.

Unions are democratic, regulated institutions. They have an essential role in civic and public life, and acts such as this seek to delegitimise them. If a standing order that prohibits a display of union logos can be pointed out to me, I would like to see it. Should we now expect members of the Farmers' Federation, the Banking Association or the chamber of commerce to be told to remove their badges? Are footy scarves to be confiscated and lobbyists from Apple and Optus to be ordered shirtless? I stand with Jasmyn and I think she deserves an apology for the way this parliament has treated her.