George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, indeed, that is the case, Senator Fifield. Senator Wong speaks in this parliament as the agent, the proxy, the delegate, the apologist and the former official of the CFMEU. No wonder Senator Wong and the Labor Party in general want to protect the CFMEU and other violent, lawless, crooked trade unions from the scrutiny and the enforcement of the rule of law which this government is determined to bring to them in the interests of the innocent workers, the innocent union members, whose lives are controlled by union officials.

Indeed, Senator Wong was an official of the CFMEU just as Mr Bill Shorten, before he came into the parliament, was an official of the Australian Workers Union—in fact, he was the National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union. I see Senator Doug Cameron over there. Good afternoon, Senator Cameron, and happy new year to you. Senator Cameron comes into this place as the delegate of his union. What was it, Senator Cameron? The AMWU? I see Senator Gallacher over there and other Labor Party senators, all of them, virtually without exception, sent into this place to be apologists for the trade union movement. One would look in vain, for the reform of trade unions, to the very people who owe their places in this parliament to the trade unions and who, in most cases, were themselves the very trade union officials who controlled those unions.

We, the government, are determined to bring lawfulness back to the workplace. We are determined to reinstitute the ABCC. We are determined to reform the law in relation to registered organisations to ensure that they observe the rule of law, that they respect their members' funds and that they conduct their union in accordance with the rights of the workers. Senator Cameron and others are famous for invoking the question: what about the workers? I will tell you, Senator Cameron, what about the workers. This coalition government is the best friend the workers of Australia have ever had, but we are determined to be the worst enemy that the corrupt, violent, thuggish, trade union officials have ever had—and we will ensure that the rule of law governs them.