Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of Labor’s disallowance motion for the regulations to this evil and disgusting act. The many reasons that these regulations should be disallowed have been touched on in contributions from senators on the issue of industrial relations in recent days. In fact, Senator McGauran spent a large part of a speech on Tuesday defending the act these regulations have been drafted under and chiding me about my use of what he called ‘all the old language of Labor’. He then went on to talk about me and my cudgel. While I am somewhat disconcerted by Senator McGauran’s interest in my cudgel, I am more than happy to take to him with it.

Senator McGauran is the star of one of my favourite political cartoons by David Rowe. I want to paint the picture for you, Mr Acting Deputy President. The setting is in Collins Street, Melbourne. Far away in the distance, a farmer can be seen calling out after lost stock. ‘Julian! Julian!’ he cries. Back on Collins Street, the Treasurer stands clearly uncomfortable and somewhat disgusted. An eager pig wearing an Akubra with ‘McGauran’ written on the side is vigorously adjoined to the Treasurer’s leg in a most unseemly way. I imagine Senator McGauran choked on his latte as he read the Financial Review that day.

When Senator McGauran finally got around to talking about something other than me and my cudgel, he asked rhetorically: ‘Why would we’—the Howard government—‘jeopardise a 16.8 per cent rise in wages?’ I know Senator McGauran’s sheltered and privileged upbringing has given him a limited understanding of the real world, but the answer to that question is simple. It is because the Howard government hates working people, especially those who dare to stand together in union in the face of the greed and mismanagement of their bosses. The Howard government not only threatened the rise in wages they pretend to be responsible for but they also outright opposed these pay raises at every step of the way.

Over its 10 years in office, the Howard government has opposed every minimum wage outcome awarded by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. If the Howard government had had its way, the 1.6 million Australian employees on the minimum wage would be $44 a week, or $2,300 a year, worse off. That is the Howard government’s guarantee—that is the Howard government’s record. That is why the Howard government removed the ability of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to set the minimum wage and why these regulations, and the substantive act the regulations are drafted under, give this power to the new so-called Fair Pay Commission.

The only reason I can imagine why the Howard government would want to change the way the minimum wage is set is that it thinks this new body will be closer to the government’s low-wage agenda than the AIRC was. Des Moore, the Director of the Institute for Private Enterprise, was right when, in a speech on 3 December 2005, he said:

This new legislation is shot full of contradictions that, on the one hand, purport to “allow Australia’s employers and employees the freedom and the choice to sit down and work out the arrangements that best suit them” but, on the other hand, continues to severely constrain that freedom.

The Work Choices act and regulations contain a list of prohibited content. Apparently, Australian companies need to be protected from the possibility that they might want to make an agreement with their workers on some matters. The regulations prohibit the provision of payroll deduction facilities for union dues. I did not realise that Australian companies needed the Howard government to legislate to protect them from the possibility that they might want to agree to provide their workforces with payroll deductions for union fees. I did not realise that Australian companies needed the Howard government to legislate to prevent them from agreeing to send their workforce to union training.

The CFMEU, in my home state of Western Australia, set up the Construction Skills Training Centre in Welshpool. It is very highly regarded by its clients and provides quality training to workers. But, apparently, Australian companies need to be protected from themselves, just in case they might have the strange idea that training centres like the Construction Skills Training Centre in Welshpool might assist their workforce to be safer and more productive. The Howard government has sent a very clear message to the companies of Australia: ‘You can choose to bargain but only on our terms. You can choose to bargain on those terms we want you to bargain on, but you cannot choose to bargain about issues we prohibit.’

Senator McGauran might be uncomfortable with my ‘old language of Labor’, but I suspect that is because he is only comfortable with the 19th century language of the master-servant relationship—language such as, ‘I’ll take tea in the drawing room, James,’ or, ‘Jeeves, saddle my steed and fetch me my riding crop.’ The likes of Senator McGauran are only comfortable when they have someone meek and submissive to order around, and that is why they hate proud and independent trade unionists so much. These regulations are about giving bosses the riding crop to whip their workers into line. That is why I oppose them and that is why they need to be disallowed.

Debate (on motion by Senator Webber) adjourned.