David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I must agree with Senator McGauran and say that Senator Wong is a shining light. She is a stark contrast to the majority of senators opposite. She brings a degree of intellect, reasonableness and intelligence to the debate. However, when it comes to certain subjects, unfortunately she has to accept the brief that is given to her—the hospital handball. Today for question time she was asked to think of a subject by which she could try to score a few points from the government. I think she has done very well. If I had to give her a mark out of 10, it would be around six. It was not a bad effort. I think she has approached it in a philosophically accommodating way to her credit.

The theme of disunity in the government is an interesting theme because the most pressing and obvious issue for the Australian Labor Party today is industrial relations. The Labor Party’s leader here in Canberra, Mr Beazley, has been running around talking about abolishing AWAs. Indeed the industrial workplace in Australia is the lifeblood of senators from the Labor Party. The union movement is the fundamental foundation stone upon which the parliamentary careers of all senators from the Labor movement here in Canberra are built. So when Mr Beazley says, ‘I will abolish AWAs,’ what happens? Three or four members of his own frontbench come out and say: ‘That is not our policy. That is not what we want to do.’

Senator Wong has come in here today to lecture us about disunity. My goodness! If you want to see lemming-like disunity on the most fundamental issue that is taking us to the next election, you have got the leader of the Australian Labor Party wanting to have as a centrepiece the roll-back or abolition of AWAs while his own front bench were last weekend leaking to the media saying: ‘That’s not our policy. We are not going to do it.’ I think that is the epitome and the gold medal of disunity. Senator Wong, there is disunity—living, breathing, walking disunity.

You are taking note of all answers to all questions during question time. Western Australia currently has an unemployment rate of 3.5 per cent with a growth rate in excess of eight per cent. Again, Mr Beazley has criticised the importation of skilled labour. You want to talk about disunity? Before any skilled labourer comes into Australia, guess who has to sign off on it? The Australian Labor Party in each state government through its department of industrial relations has to sign off on it. DIMA does not allow a single skilled labourer into Australia without the state government’s approval that that industry is subject to skilled migration assistance.

You want to talk about disunity? There is Mr Beazley, off on a tangent while his own party, through its state governments, is allowing skilled migration. Again we have a walking, breathing, living example of disunity. The comparison is stark and it is a very interesting day here in parliament when the opposition wants to raise disunity. So every time Mr Beazley talks about skilled migration in the derogatory way that he does and attacks the minister, his own party—through its state governments—is welcoming every skilled migrant that they can into the workforce.

Also, Albany in Western Australia is currently going to export $130 million of woodchips from blue gum growth in the regions of the Great Southern of Western Australia. Last year they exported virtually nothing. That is due to managed investment from people from all over Australia and, indeed, the world into blue gum growth. It has been a huge boon to industry and one of the reasons why Western Australia has a 3.5 per cent unemployment rate. (Time expired)