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

Once again I am not provided with an answer. But I am quite thrilled that the minister pulled the stunt of pulling out all the legislation. I recall coming into this place when on the other side with a ream of paper that represented one single industrial award. So, when we talk about a complicated system, if we were to stack the awards on top of each other we would undoubtedly exceed the height of the flagpole on top of this place. Three meagre volumes disappear into insignificance by comparison. But I have a question, seeing we are not getting any answers, which highlights the fact that the glib one-liners run during the election campaign are not able to be delivered on for the Australian people. I recall when doing Work Choices, the Labor Party—and I thought to a certain extent they may have had a good point here—asked whether any economic modelling had been done to support such wild assertions as, if I recall, if the legislation was passed we might in fact get an increase in employment of 70,000-plus people and we might be able to break the psychological figure of a five per cent unemployment rate! Today we celebrate an unemployment rate of 3.97 per cent, which is a great outcome for those thousands of Australian workers who are in fact now able to be described as working families; previously they would have been welfare families. Having mentioned that, I ask: has the government done any economic modelling in relation to its proposed changes and, if not, why did it demand economic modelling of the previous government when it itself is not undertaking economic modelling for its changes? Is it that one rule applies to the Liberal Party and the National Party and another one to the Labor Party?