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

Senator Collins, do not sell yourself short, because you could not, even if you tried your hardest, do worse than the non-answers we got at Senate estimates in relation to this. We had certain people complaining that we had put about 200-plus questions on notice about these issues and then all we get is: 'Well, the decision is the decision because it is the decision, and that is the reason why—because it is decision—and people looked at the decision and confirmed the decision.'

But when you then ask, 'What is the decision and what is the public policy reason behind the decision?' it is, 'Well, this body made the decision.' That is not a sufficient explanation, especially when somebody who has been delivering an excellent service has been cut out of the marketplace in this manner. That person's name is well known; it is Dr John Culvenor. Why should he and the way he does business be cut out of the marketplace, especially when he has got accolades from Commonwealth departments and agencies? It still defies any logic, any explanation, other than somebody has tapped somebody on the shoulder to say, 'If we can get rid of this exceptionally good provider it might open up the marketplace for us to provide that training service and charge for it.' I just wonder whether certain trade unions might be seeing a potential market opening for themselves.