John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Hansard source

That is the truth of the matter, Senator Parry. You should come down and see what the real world is about, not live up there in your lofty tower. Find out that in the real world the people who are most vulnerable have been attacked by the Work Choices legislation and have had their basic and fundamental conditions undermined. For the government to talk about ‘A Stronger Safety Net’ is a complete untruth at best. There has never been a safety net with the current Work Choices legislation. The government rejected any concept of a safety net when the Work Choices legislation passed through this chamber over 18 months ago. There was no thought ever taken by this government of giving proper protection for those people who are the weak and vulnerable in the workforce.

I have heard the arguments over a long period of time, because I have a history as a long-practising trade union person, whether it be in a full-time or part-time capacity. I have seen governments of all persuasions go through the issue of industrial relations over a long period of time and come up with many schemes. There was Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who came up with the much vaunted voluntary employment agreements back in the 1980s. What were voluntary employment agreements? Nothing more than AWAs. What were voluntary employment agreements designed to do? Attack the most vulnerable. They were nothing more and nothing less than AWAs. There was no concept of a safety net in the Bjelke-Petersen era; there is no concept of protection for people in the Howard government era either. That has never been part of the mantra of the coalition forces, whether they be in places like Queensland or in federal government. The fact of life is that if you were skilled, if you were well educated and if you were well placed you could defend yourself most admirably and most adequately in negotiating the terms and conditions of employment that you might seek. However, if you were weak, vulnerable, unskilled or semiskilled then you were exposed. That is what this government cannot come to grips with. You have never been out there. You have never met the unskilled or the semiskilled. You have never met the vulnerable. You have never met those people who are in precarious employment.