Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister for employment—

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

The member for Page will cease interjecting.

The member for Page will cease interjecting.

Honourable members interjecting—

The member for Page will cease interjecting, and the House will come to order.

The Attorney-General will cease interjecting.

The Attorney-General is warned.

The member for Riverina is warned.

The member for Riverina is on a warning.

Honourable members interjecting—

The House will come to order so I can hear the member for Hasluck.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Can the minister explain how some commentary about the secure jobs, better pay bill is just plain wrong? What will the actual impacts of the legislation be?

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

I thank the member for Hasluck. There have been few questions I've welcomed as much as I welcome being asked, 'Is there anything that's been said on this bill that's just plain wrong?', because even as I've sat here in question time a new one happened. I wasn't prepared that I was going to get up and talk about the shadow Treasurer, but the shadow Treasurer in his question referred to small business and a figure of $75,000. So I went straight to the advisers box and got them to check with the department, 'Is there anywhere in that document where that figure is referred to for small business?', and it's nowhere—no reference to small business, this $75,000 figure he makes. I've now got them googling, because he may have uploaded something to the internet somewhere, where there's a different document involving that figure. But even in question time the misrepresentation has continued, because the day began with misrepresentation. Right on cue the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has gone to the advisers box too, because the Deputy Leader of the Opposition gave a great comment this morning. As part of their anger and frustration about the concept of workers getting wages moving she said:

These businesses will be forced to the table under multi-employer bargaining. These are businesses that for example, may pay above the award, may be on enterprise agreements—

If you're on an enterprise agreement, you are ineligible for multi-employer bargaining.

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

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

First rule of holes: stop digging. Already this morning, start of the day, early comments in the media conference, these are the comments that are prepared, just like the shadow Treasurer's question today—prepared with information that is wrong on the face of documents tabled in this parliament, wrong on the face of documents that are publicly available. They're not the only scare campaigns. We were in the debate for a suspension only this morning again being told that we needed to bring the bill back in because they were opposed to sector-wide and industry-wide bargaining. The bill doesn't have sector-wide and industry-wide bargaining. It has multi-employer bargaining where either the employers or their workforce have chosen and voted that they want to be a part of it. But we also had in the debate—this is one of my favourites, because I think someone is in competition with Senator Cash—the Nationals MP for Mallee:

The Albanese government is willing to risk burning down the Australian economy with this industry-wide bargaining, and after that—

This hits my arts portfolio part—

the unions will rule over the ashes.

No melodrama over there! no exaggeration! Deal with the facts. We need to get wages moving. (Time expired)