Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

No, I am not referring to my performances at all; I am only referring to your Labor colleagues. The construct that was sought to be built to deny the Senate estimates committee the right to question the President of Fair Work Australia has fallen on every single count. Allow me to quickly go through them again. Labor drew up the legislation. It requires that the president be responsible for the efficient running of Fair Work Australia. And, might I add, he is responsible to ensure that Fair Work Australia adequately serves the needs of employers and employees throughout Australia. It is an important function that he has. Why should he not be questioned about his performance of those functions? That is how Labor drafted their legislation.

We then have the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations gratuitously advising me—and I think it was a fair advice—that that question should be addressed to Justice Giudice. So we have the minister himself acknowledging that and then—