Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, recently called on trade unions to mobilise like never before against our Liberal-National government. This has precious little to do with the rights of workers and everything to do with frustrating the efforts of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the Registered Organisations Commission. Big unions have turned workplace relations into big business. With surging profits that defy a collapsing membership, the financial interests of big unions often directly compromise the interests of the very workers they purport to represent. They control vast investment portfolios, some larger than blue-chip companies, yet, perversely, they pay no tax. Most unions operate in a market that is free of credible competition, and, as absolute power corrupts absolutely, a litany of offences, often criminal, are the result. These unions are closed shops where workers seeking advocacy are denied a fair choice. When will the Labor Party finally stand up for hardworking Australians and say no to big unions and yes to protecting everyday Australians?