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

I deliberately said that so that it gets on the record that Senator Marshall does not consider him to be a mate. That will make for interesting meetings! I am not going to comment on whether Ms Rich’s dismissal was justified for operational reasons because that is a matter for others. What this case demonstrates is Labor’s duplicity. It is a case of, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ When a Cowra abattoir unfortunately has to, for operational reasons, make people redundant, the union says, ‘No, you’re not to believe them, albeit that the Office of Workplace Services said it was a genuine case.’ But, if the Electrical Trades Union does it, it is all okay and it is all to be believed—exactly the same way as they say a union like the shoppies in South Australia can trade away penalty rates but individuals are not allowed to do it. The media union is allowed to trade away public holidays but individuals are not allowed to do it. It is a classic case of Labor once again saying, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’

For the benefit of our nation we are willing to take the tough decisions for the long-term benefit of the workers in this country. Do you want to know the first thing workers actually want? It is a job. Under Labor, one million of our fellow Australians—(Time expired)