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

I will respond very briefly. This is the dishonesty of the Australian Labor Party being yet again displayed in this place. Child labour laws are not the province of the federal government. I have said this time and time again during this debate, and Labor senators deliberately seek to deceive the Australian people by saying that this somehow will impact on that. It is the responsibility of state Labor governments to deal with child labour laws. If there is a problem with child labour laws, do not point at us; point to your Labor premiers all around the country.

Let me indicate to the honourable senator opposite that when his Western Australian mate—the honourable senator’s soon to be former leader—was employment minister under the previous Labor government, 104 working days were lost per 1,000 employees. That was under the Labor government with the regime that they introduced that is so good. Do you know what it is today? It is now 3.1 days. It is still the same regime that Senator Sterle promotes to this country as being the reason that industrial disputes are so low. If that is the case, explain to me why under your regime, while you were in government and while Mr Beazley was employment minister, this country used to have to endure 104 lost days per year per 1,000 employees, whereas today that figure is right down to 3.1. I will tell you what changed: the government changed. We have made reforms, workers are getting paid more, they know they are better off and as a result there is no longer the need for industrial disputation at the levels that we used to have to endure when Mr Beazley was employment minister and the Labor Party, with the trade union movement, used to run this country.