Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Jobs and Skills Summit brought together 140 leaders from business, government, unions and civil society to find common ground on our economic challenges. What are some of the outcomes of the summit, and how will everyday Australians benefit?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cunningham for her question. I congratulate her on her first speech to the parliament just before question time and I look forward to her making an outstanding contribution for the people of the Illawarra. The Jobs and Skills Summit exceeded, I think, everyone's expectations. The fact is that it was a resounding success that changed the whole mood of politics and the way that it's conducted. We brought together business, unions, community leaders, people from across the political spectrum—with one little group excepted—and all those who are interested in creating a fair-wage, strong-growth, high-productivity economy going forward, all those who understood that the skills crisis is something that's developed over the last decade and needs addressing, all those who understood that enterprise bargaining at the moment isn't working to lift productivity and it's not working to lift wages either. As a result of the cooperative approach, we came up with 36 concrete outcomes, including $1.1 billion in additional federal and state funding for fee-free TAFE from 2023. Just for the next financial year, that is 180,000 places. I thank the premiers and chief ministers from throughout the country, from across the political spectrum, who joined with us in that.

There will be a permanent migration program increase to 195,000, allowing student visa holders to work more and clearing the visa backlog that this government inherited, where there were a million people waiting for their visas. There will be an additional 500 workers there. There will be more flexibility in the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to encourage private sector and superannuation investment, making an enormous difference going forward.

Across the board, there was a constructive approach. People came and didn't just try to dig a deeper trench in the same old battlefield. People put aside their differences. They participated constructively. It will be remembered and contrasted with the 1983 summit, where there was just one woman represented. This time around, it was fifty-fifty representation. The summit showed that bringing people together—the premiers and chief ministers, business, unions, the Business Council, COSBOA—sitting down with unions and sitting down with workers is constructive. I think Jennifer Westacott summed it up when she said:

I think the summit has been a great opportunity to reset and to really seize the future.

It's a pity some of those opposite don't want to be a part of the future. (Time expired)

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's captain's call to invite CFMEU boss Christy Cain to his union talkfest. Mr Cain has previously been charged with common assault, has described John Setka as 'one of the most fair-dinkum people in this country' and on Thursday said, 'If you're not at the table, you're part of the menu.' Will the Prime Minister apologise for inviting this misogynist thug, or was it payback for millions in dirty CFMEU donations?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question about the fact that there were trade unionists at the Jobs and Skills Summit. We had representatives from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation at the summit. They were the people who stood on the front line of the pandemic, the people who protected people in the health sector. We heard from the United Workers Union about the work that took place in terms of child care during the pandemic. We heard from them about the need to deal with skills shortages. We heard from unions in the tech sector about the work that was required there. We heard—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is again on relevance. All of those unions who were there had a legitimate reason to be there, are good people. This question is about the thugs at the CFMEU that go around breaking arms, go around with all sorts of misogynistic behaviour, and this Prime Minister won't make—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I ask the Leader of the Opposition to resume his seat. The Leader of the House on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I just refer to your earlier warnings to the Leader of the Opposition in terms of points of order that are clearly not points of order.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is in order, and I ask him to return to the question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm asked a question about union representation at the Jobs and Skills Summit, and I am answering that question. At the summit, they brought together business council representatives, they brought together union representatives and not everyone at the summit—and the big tip here with everyone at the summit is when you bring 140 people together, you mightn't agree with the comments of every single one of the 140. But what you do is bring people together in a constructive way.

That's why peak groups, like Innes Willox from AiG, Jennifer Westacott, Fiona Simson, Tanya Constable, Anna Bligh, John Davies, Simon Butt, Alexi Boyd—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will just take a break. The Manager of Opposition Business—and I'd ask him to state the point of order.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is defying your ruling. You asked him to return to the question; this is about the CFMMEU.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The question was about unions attending, in your words, the 'talkfest'—the jobs summit. I call the Prime Minister to be in order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks Mr Speaker—oh!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I don't want to take issue with your interpretation of the question but, as you'd know, the question didn't make a reference to general unionists who were there. I quote the deputy leader, 'I refer to the Prime Minister's captain's calls to invite militant unionist from the CFMMEU, Christy McCain—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is specific—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask you to resume your seat. If you wish to talk about one union, don't refer to 'union talkfest' in your question. I call the Prime Minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They're confused, Mr Speaker! They're confused, and they even changed—

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That reflected on the chair!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I didn't hear what the Leader of the Opposition said—

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! I'm asking for silence in the chamber so I can hear the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. I call the Prime Minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The fact is that the conference was attended by a cross-range of people over two days. At the dinner, where I was sitting to my right was Anthony Pratt, on my left was Alexi Boyd, the head of the council of small business. It was a real opportunity for people to gather in a constructive way, to engage in dialogue with each other in a positive way—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll just ask the Prime Minister to take a break. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition—and I need her to state the standing order directly that she'll be referring to.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tedious repetition, Mr Speaker! And a failure to talk about the CFMMEU—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. There are far too many points of order during questions. I call the Prime Minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, the Leader of the Opposition has given two different names for the gentleman concerned when he repeated the question. The fact is, we had representatives from the Victorian Trades Hall Council, the HSU, the AEU, the nurses and midwives— (Time expired)