John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to continue and look at what this amendment to this legislation means. The Transport Workers Union will have the power to enter a workplace with 24 hours notice, even if the company involved is not union affiliated. We have talked about this throughout the whole debate on this legislation. Union delegates will be free to inspect driving records and order companies to provide documents as far back as six years. What sort of a headache for companies will that be? They will require road freight employers and contractors to publish employee and contractor remuneration in publicly available documents—so much for privacy. They will require compulsory union involvement in drug and alcohol training, irrespective of whether any union members are present in the employer’s workforce. Employees and employers no longer have a choice, and—this is quite strange—right of entry access will be provided to unions to enter and enforce the award and contract determination at any related place of business, including consignors of freight, with just 24 hours notice. Upon a successful prosecution the union can then apply and receive up to 50 per cent of the penalties imposed by the AIRC.

This is how it is in New South Wales, and you want to bring it in Australia wide. This seems to be a great funding network for the trade union movement. This is what this modern award system is about. At no point have the relevant industry associations been consulted on this provision, despite being active in the many industrial relations reforms introduced by the federal government. I say to you, Minister—from the Queensland Trucking Association and the ATA—that you have not consulted with them. Why didn’t the government consult with the appropriate transport representatives in the nation before it decided to slip this amendment into this bill?