Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Chairman, the only amendment left on sheet 4847 is item 11, and I do not propose moving that item. We will accept defeat with respect to the amendments that we put.

In closing my own contribution to this debate, I find there is a disconnection sometimes between what the minister and members of the government say that they are on about and the way in which they embellish what they say they are on about. For instance, the minister in his speech on the second reading made a remark which I applaud—that the government is not anti union, that this bill is not designed to be anti union and that you are not framing it with that perspective in mind. But then as soon as you, Minister, get into debate and interchange—this is essentially the point that Senator Wong has made—the ‘lie’, if I can express it that way and without meaning an untruth from you, is given to that statement because your very demeanour and your examples indicate an anti-union bias.

I believe that attitude in the Liberal Party, and probably in the National Party too, is derived from the fact that the unions and Labor are joined together as the political wing, industrial wing and so on. But I have always tried to separate that. As members of the chamber know, I am of the view that union members should not be automatically assumed to be counted as members towards the delegates who go to union conferences, for instance. On many occasions I have expressed a dislike for some of the arrangements which tie the political and industrial wings of the Labor Party and the unions. But that does not turn me into an anti-union person.

I would say, through the chair, Minister, that it is unfortunate that quite often a very strong anti-union bias comes through. I imagine that if I or anybody else stood here and, instead of the word ‘union’ in a sentence, put the word ‘corporate’ or ‘company’ in the sentence and constantly diminished or demeaned the corporate world, it would be entirely wrong. There are many fine men and women who run the companies of this country as well as many fine men and women who are in employee organisations, both union and non-union. Without seeking to sound like a preacher, Minister—