Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand to speak and support the Australian Technical Colleges (Flexibility in Achieving Australia's Skills Needs) Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2006. I do so for a number of reasons. In my outline of those reasons I will also respond to the attacks and the allegations made by Senator Sterle and members on the other side. In fact, I want to say that I was disappointed with the personal attacks by Senator Sterle specifically with respect to Senator Ian Macdonald and former Minister Gary Hardgrave. I do not think that does him any good at all. I think we should be playing the ball and not the man.

He has also been waxing lyrical about the policy approach of our government and the policy approach—or void—from the opposition side. He has referred to the Work Choices regime and attacked it, notwithstanding the fact that members on his side of the chamber and in the union movement said that it would be a recipe for a slashing of jobs and would put downward pressure on wages. Of course, both those allegations were entirely false. Members on the other side should be apologising to the Australian people for those false accusations that have been made.

With respect to the slashing of jobs, the exact opposite has occurred. We have now seen over 240,000 new jobs since Work Choices was introduced in March last year. The runs are on the board. Howard has delivered again. Compare that to 13 years under Labor when you had one million Australians unemployed. Unemployment now is at a 30-year low and you have a very strong economy and wages growth.

With respect to Labor and the union movement’s attack on Work Choices, saying that it would be a downward pressure on wages, of course that is entirely wrong; in fact, the opposite is correct, with an over 16½-per cent increase in real wages since the Howard government came to power in 1996 and continuing improvement in real wages. That is more money in the pockets of the working men and women of Australia, benefiting them and their families. Under 13 years of Labor you had a 1.3 per cent reduction in real wages. That is less money in the pockets of working men and women of Australia. Labor’s policy is to rip up AWAs. AWAs provide the flexibility and the choice. It is not compulsory; it is voluntary and it provides choice for the Australian people. Senator Sterle and others—indeed, Mr Rudd—have a position of ripping up AWAs and removing the choice.