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

If any worker is listening in then they should understand why other workers are very, very afraid of the coalition ever having anything to do with workplace relations law in this country. I did not hear Senator Abetz's contribution , because I had constituents in my office, but I suppose Senator Abetz took his usual professional approach on this, which is very, very dangerous for workers. They should read between the lines of what Senator Abetz says every time he is on his feet, because Senator Abetz is one of the original work choice warriors.

I have to say that the contributions from Senator Back and Senator Fisher were absolutely over the top. That must be how the debate goes on in the coalition party room, with people being really strident to make sure that workers do not have any rights, to make sure that they can get back to Work Choices and to make sure that they can get the ABCC to act in a way that disadvantages workers from having a fair go in the building and construction industry.

I thought it was quite amazing that Senator Fisher said, 'There will come a time that we will not be cowed by it.' What she meant was that I was raising the spectre of Work Choices. You have got every reason to be cowed by Work Choices. You have got every reason to be cowed by that terrible legislation that was the ABCC. I have worked in the building and construction industry. I actually know the industry, and it is nothing like what you are saying and what is being promoted here. It is a tough industry. There are tough people in the industry amongst the workers, the unions and the employers.

I draw to your attention the number of judicial criticisms of the ABCC. The ABCC was headed up by a guy called John Lloyd. John Lloyd was a professional Tory, a professional union buster, a professional who was there to make sure—

Senator Fisher interjecting—

You have just heard how this craziness from the other side becomes actual fact for workers on the job. When you get highly respected judges like Justice Spender saying that the ABCC were not performing in an even-hand manner then you have got to ask the question. When Justice Spender was commenting on the Steven Lovewell and Bradley O'Carroll case, he said:

The case, as brought and as evidenced by the evidence yesterday, was misconceived, was completely without merit and should not have been brought. There is room for the view that if the commission—

that was the ABCC—

was even-handed in discharging its task of ensuring industrial harmony and lawfulness in the building or construction industry proceedings, not necessarily in this court and not necessarily confined to civil industrial law, should have been brought against a company, Underground, and its managing director and possibly another director.

I have not got the time to go into all the details but there is case after case after case where senior judges of this country say that the ABCC have acted in a biased manner against union officials and against workers—case after case. It is an absolute disgrace. It is an absolute tragedy for democracy and a fair go in this country. What will it mean for workers if Senator Abetz, the work choice warrior, Senator Back, who does the bidding of the Western Australian mining companies, and Senator Fisher, who has made her career off the back of trying to destroy workers' rights, were in charge of industrial relations in this country? It will mean that their penalty rates will go. Their rights will go. They will be subjected to some of the worst law that will be seen not only in this country but in any comparable country overseas. No modern country has legislation like theirs. It is Tory legislation. It is conservative legislation. It is bad legislation. And we will not have a bar of it. (Time expired)