Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

Can I thank Senator Brandis for his question and acknowledge his longstanding interest in job creation in this great nation. Mr President, today the Howard government’s Work Choices legislation comes into effect—legislation which we on this side of the chamber firmly believe is in the interests of this nation and of working Australians and their families. We believe this because this is the sort of updating of the century-old IR system which both the employees and employers of this country have been crying out for. By enshrining flexibility and the right of employees and employers to sit down and negotiate working conditions which best suit them—protected, importantly, by a minimum safety net—both the workers and employers of this nation will be better off. In addition, the Work Choices abolition of the Keating government’s failed social experiment of unfair dismissal laws for small businesses, while retaining protection against unlawful dismissals, will create thousands of new jobs in this country, as evidenced by study after study, survey after survey.

It has been a while since I have had an IR question but, of course, it is something that I look forward to. I thought we might have another ‘Who said it?’ Who said this about the now former unfair dismissal regime: ‘Currently what you get is a sort of ambulance-chasing activity?’ No takers? I will give them a clue. It was somebody who did not seek to intervene in the proposed unfair dismissal of the member for Hotham. Have you got it? It was Mr Beazley himself. As late as last Friday—only three days ago—he made those comments about the now previous unfair dismissal laws, those laws that the Labor Party voted to keep on 42 separate occasions. What we have is Mr Beazley and the Australian Labor Party acknowledging the problems of the unfair dismissal laws. So on Friday, having previously said Labor Party policy was ‘rip-up’, the son of roll-back—it was going to rip up all the industrial relations changes—he announced his new unfair dismissal laws. It was only back to the future for Mr Beazley. Having noted in his speech all the problems associated with the regime which we have now overturned for small businesses, he then says and acknowledges that Labor will simply reinstitute that same failed regime.

The Australian people and the Australian workers deserve a lot better from Mr Beazley and those who seek to be the alternative government of this nation. Sure, the unfair dismissal changes are good for small business—and Mr Beazley is on record as saying, ‘We have never pretended to be a small-business party’—but it is indisputable that these laws that we have changed are also good for job creation. Surely the Australian Labor Party could at least bring itself to say we are pro job creation. But, because they are so beholden to the trade union movement, they are unable to say even that. On this, the occasion of the beginning of the Howard government’s Work Choices legislation, I commend the legislation to the Australian community and look forward with confidence to the job creation and wages growth that will result. (Time expired)