Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I think the record now shows quite clearly that the government are not able to give a guarantee that some Australian workers will not be worse off as a result of their legislation, a guarantee that they demanded from the former government. And, when it honestly said it was unable to give such a guarantee, the former government was pilloried from the Torres Strait to Tasmania and from Sydney to the Swan for its inability to do so. Yet, a few months later, we have this new Rudd Labor government, with all the gloss coming off and with all the cliches that they used during the campaign that no worker should be worse off, now admitting that their legislation will see some workers worse off.

I ask the minister: why has it taken the government so long to bring in this legislation, keeping in mind that the Prime Minister, on 18 November, six days before the election, promised that the parliament would resume before Christmas? We know that that is already a broken election promise, because he did not resume the parliament before Christmas. Indeed, the parliament resumed on 12 February, the latest day that the parliament has resumed this century and this millennium. I ask: given that delay, given that huge amount of time that the Labor government had to get its house in order, why, some 10 minutes ago, did they drop on us 10 pages comprising 24 separate amendments to their proposed legislation, with an explanatory memorandum that goes for 15 pages? I recall Senator Wong was highly critical when the former government behaved in such a manner.

We were told that that was the sign of a government in decay, a government that was arrogant and a government that was doing legislation on the run. I would be interested in whether, after less than 120 days in office, this is indicative of the Rudd government now being a government in decay and displaying signs of arrogance. Also, why has it taken so long for this legislation to come into the chamber and why has there been the delay in presenting us with these very detailed and lengthy amendments?