Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I fail to understand how the shadow minister for industry, Mrs Sophie Mirabella, could go into a manufacturing plant and actually look a worker in the eye, because I remember going to a debate with Mrs Mirabella during the Work Choices campaign and her view was simply that you would increase productivity by taking workers rights away. That is all she was doing. She was a vociferous advocate and supporter of Work Choices.

So, if there are any manufacturing workers listening in tonight and you hear the coalition arguing that they are going to do something for manufacturing, let me tell you what they will do for manufacturing. They will allow the worst bosses in the manu­facturing industry to rip away workers rights. You know that. You know that because that is in the coalition DNA: attack the trade union movement, attack workers in this country; try and compete from the lowest cost base, try and take away workers rights, try and reduce their wages and try and compete in the international arena on the basis of low wages. That is what this lot are about, and they know it, and that is why the debate is red hot now within the coalition between the extremists who want to bring back Work Choices and the other group who are equally as extreme but have a bit more political nous and do not want to mention the words 'Work Choices'. That is the debate that is going on in the coalition at the moment—between those who want to stand up proudly for their failed policy and those who want to try and pretend that Work Choices never happened. I tell you, the public will be onto you. The public will be onto you.

There are two years left in this government's term and, in that two-year period, we will continue to implement policies that are in the interests of the nation, not what you are proposing. You are proposing policies that are not in the interests of ordinary working families and policies that ignore the reality of climate change—policies that are based on contempt for environmentalists, policies that are based on contempt for scientists, policies that are based on contempt for the Bureau of Meteorology, policies that are based on contempt for the CSIRO and policies that are based on contempt for every decent economist in this country. You are a party of contempt, a contemptuous party, a party that has no idea about the real issues that go to improving an economy and improving the manufacturing industry. This government will continue to invest in the skills base of this economy. This government will continue to argue that the mining industry must make a contribution to try to even up this economy. The mining companies must, in my view, make an investment in this country's future. They cannot continue to do what they have been doing—simply taking the skills from the manufacturing industry and putting them into the mining industry and then crowding out the manufacturing industry on the basis of a high dollar.

The Mirabella speech yesterday was an absolute joke. It showed a complete lack of understanding of the real drivers for productive performance and the real drivers for a good economy. The coalition, manu­facturing workers need to understand, will be about trying to drive productivity on the basis of reducing costs. Their policies will be all about giving the boss every advantage to rip and tear at workers rights and conditions. Their policies will not be about the drivers, the innovation, the productive performance that is important for the manufacturing industry in this country. Peter Costello had no idea. He was the worst Treasurer this country ever had and history will prove that.

Question agreed to.