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

In the few moments remaining I have to say it is very interesting to note that these provisions have been introduced into this bill without any consultation with the transport sector. These are last-minute changes to deliver huge powers to the Transport Workers Union. You bet your bottom dollar the transport industry has not been consulted but the Transport Workers Union has. Let the minister deny it—and he will not. The reason is that these issues have been rushed in at the last minute, with the government amending its own legislation, in a very important and large area of concern, without anybody having the opportunity to submit to the Senate committee that inquired into this legislation.

Why wasn’t this put in the original legislation? Was it simply an oversight or was it because the government and the Transport Workers Union did not want trucking company after trucking company, especially from New South Wales, putting submissions before it indicating the corruption of the blue card and all the kickbacks that Senator Williams has been able to expose this afternoon? Why wasn’t it submitted to the Senate committee for all this to be teased out publicly? ‘No, no, no, we don’t put it in the bill. We then rush it in with amendments and try to smother it in about 20 amendments in this raft, hoping that nobody will necessarily pick up on it.’ Take the tip: we in the coalition have picked up on it, and it fails all our fundamental tests as to how we look at this legislation.

I have asked a number of times in this debate: how will it impact on small business? Very, very adversely, as Senator Williams has outlined. And does it deliver excessive union power? Of course it does—and it delivers it by the bucket load or by the truck load, if I can use that analogy in these circumstances. This is excessive union power. After the suspension of the sitting I will be making a few more comments about the New South Wales arrangements that have been driving the trucking industry.

Progress reported.