Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

You can have a go as much as you like about trade unions and members of trade unions. Senator Bilyk, I and everybody else who has actually worked cooperatively with trade unions knows that at the very fundamental basis they are made up of ordinary working people who understand it is important to act collectively to protect their working conditions. They understand that we need to have decent legislation to protect them. This particular piece of legislation is nothing about protecting trade union members; it is about making it as difficult as possible for trade unions to operate. That is why we need to refer this bill to a Senate committee that will give it a decent going over, a thorough looking at. A Senate committee will have time to look at all of the implications of this bill for trade unions and employers.

You refuse to have a decent inquiry into this bill because you just want it done and dusted so you can recommence Work Choices, so you can recommence your attacks on trade unions to do what you did not promise to the Australian people before the election. You did not say to them, 'We are going to go after trade unions again.' You did not say to them, 'We are going to bring back Work Choices,' but, by gum, that is what you are going to do—and we know it. We know it on this side and we are going you stop you as much as we can.

In order to do that we do need to have a decent inquiry into this piece of legislation. That is why I am proud to support Senator Moore moving the motion on behalf of Senator Wong to refer this bill to a Senate committee for a decent inquiry. It is what the people of Australia would expect of us on this side and that is why we have moved this motion. That is why I ask the Senate to support it. I know you are going to get up and say that you are not going to support this motion, but I think all government senators should be ashamed of themselves and hang their heads in shame for the attacks that they continue to perpetrate on ordinary working Australians.