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

The minister is quite right: the Senate does now have a speaker who is able to highlight the problems with this legislation. I indicate at the outset that we as a coalition will continue to oppose this legislation, which is designed to remove the key means for achieving that which the Building and Construction Commission was initially set up for. It is vitally important that the Australian people be reminded why the Australian Building and Construction Commission was set up: corruption, illegality, and thuggery were rife throughout the building and construction sector in Australia.

Indeed, in my home state of Tasmania, having listened to the plight of small business contractors, who have to try to do deals with trade unions and big builders so that they could come on site, I was convinced—as were many other Australians—that a royal commission into this sort of behaviour was necessary. That royal commission was held. It was the Cole royal commission. When I read its findings, I was horrified to learn that that which I thought was horrific in my home state of Tasmania was in fact like a Sunday school picnic in comparison to what was occurring elsewhere, especially in Victoria and Western Australia.

The people of Australia, quite rightly, fully supported the Howard government’s establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. We said we needed somebody to enforce law and order so that law-abiding citizens could actually get onto building and construction sites all around Australia. The Labor Party were shamed into basically saying at the last election: ‘Well, yeah, somehow, sort of, we’ll keep that legislation; we’ll keep a tough cop on the beat.’ But it is very interesting to have a look at some of the donations made to the Australian Labor Party before the last election. We had the CFMEU meeting with the now Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, with them believing that they had walked away with an assurance that the ABCC would be emasculated. As a result, it is interesting to learn, $500,000—half a million dollars—went from that union’s kitty to the Australian Labor Party to help fund those dishonest advertisements about the Howard government. Of course, this bill before the Senate today, the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Amendment (Transition to Fair Work) Bill 2009 is the reward to the CFMEU for that payment and support at the last election.

Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd are past masters at this. The Prime Minister says one day, ‘I’ve never been a socialist,’ and then the next day is able to say, ‘Well, I’m a Christian socialist.’ In his very first speech to the parliament he said that Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies were horrific and then a few years later appeared on pay-TV advertisements, hand on heart, saying, ‘Guess what—I’ve always been an economic conservative.’ The man will do anything for the sake of power. The man who promised the Australian people he would retain the Australian Building and Construction Commission as a tough cop on the beat quietly, behind the scenes, accepted the invitation for a meeting from the CFMEU—