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

The Australian Labor Party are shameless. I am sure that if the former Labor member for Dobell, Mr Craig Thomson, and a former National President of the Australian Labor Party, Mr Michael Williamson, were listening to the contribution just made then they would have been cheering. They would have been cheering because they are part and parcel of the corruption that has now, regrettably, become endemic within the Australian Labor Party.

Let us be very clear on a few fundamental issues. We campaigned on this bill for well over 12 months and we promised the Australian people that we would be introducing this bill into the parliament in the first week. It was a high priority for us. The Australian people knew that and they voted for it. We now have the Australian Labor Party and the Greens using an abuse of process in this place to ensure that the will of the people cannot be achieved. Let us be very clear: when Mr Shorten tried a patch-up job on registered organisations, he rushed the bill through this place. Do you know how many days the Senate committee was given? Five days from beginning to end. This was a clear election policy on our part, and we gave it eight days. Our eight days are an abuse; the Labour Party's five days are due process. Give me a break.

The dissembling in this place by former trade union officials is very obvious. It is obvious for all to see other than, pitifully, themselves. The real reason they are seeking to delay this legislation is the penalty provisions. That is the reason, and that alone is the reason. We said during the campaign that we have a very simple view on this: a company director ripping off his or her shareholders is to be treated in the same manner as a leader of a registered organisation ripping off his or her members. Under corporation law, if you are a director ripping off shareholders, you can face five years imprisonment or a fine of $320,000. If you are a union official, it is a princely fine of $10,000.

I wonder why these trade union officials opposite are so anxious not to have a new penalty regime come in. Why would that be when there are people—I have to be careful because I will be talking about a member of the judiciary—who I think it would be fair to say are not necessarily seen as sympathetic politically to the coalition side of politics? Federal Court Judge Anthony North was reported on 13 July 2013—there was a smile of acknowledgement from the other side that Justice North, chances are, would not be seen as favourably disposed towards the coalition—