Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing. Has CFMEU corruption and lawless behaviour added to construction and housing costs for everyday Australians?

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member opposite for his question. We have a construction union in our country which has become riddled with corruption and wrongdoing, and our government is taking the strongest possible action to reset that union. Today in the Senate the government introduced legislation that will allow the Minister for Industrial Relations to appoint an administrator who will have sweeping powers to do what is needed to be done to clean up this union.

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

The member for Deakin on a point of order?

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question was very tight. It was just asking the minister whether the CFMEU's corruption and lawless behaviour has added to housing costs for everyday Australians.

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

It was a tight question, and the minister has had 30 seconds as a preamble. She'll need to make sure her answer is directly relevant. I appreciate that the member wants a yes or a no, or perhaps a figure. Under the standing orders, I can't compel the minister to answer a certain way. But, having some context given now, she's going to have to return to the question or resume her seat.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course. I've talked about the action the government is taking, and I do want to make the point that this is stronger action than anything that was done by those opposite in the almost decade they were in power, despite all the complaining that went on.

We have a housing crisis in our country which has been 40 years in the making, and for a long time the Commonwealth stepped right out of this policy area. This issue is too important for our citizens—

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

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

You had a point of order. The member for Deakin is obviously raising another point of order.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, the minister is defying your ruling. She is not answering—

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

No, resume your seat. I'm trying to help the member. The minister needs to return to the question or she will be sat down. To simply talk about what is happening in—

Opposition members interjecting—

Order! Members on my left! The member is entitled to ask a question. It was a very tight question. Historical context—we're past that point. If the minister can't answer the question or doesn't want to add extra information, that's okay, but she's got one final chance here. Otherwise, I'll ask her to resume her seat.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sure. I've talked about the strong action the government is taking. There is analysis that shows impacts on residential construction. There are experts in industry that say it has no impact on residential construction. The point I would make is that the policy fix is exactly the same. We need to take this union and clean it up. The activity in this union is dragging down not only the union itself but, in fact, the reputation of the union movement in our country, and that is why our government takes this so seriously. I would say again: the opposition had almost 10 years that they were in power to do something about this problem. Instead it took until we came to government to make sure we clean up this union once and for all.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

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

The Prime Minister made an unparliamentary remark, and he should withdraw it.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right. If the Prime Minister has made an unparliamentary remark—

Honourable members interjecting—

Okay. Order! We'll hear from the member for Macarthur.