Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Jennifer Acton, sorry. I correct the record, thank you. A former senator of this place and former TWU boss as well, Steve Hutchins, is also on the tribunal. Paul Ryan, who represents an employer body, is also reportedly close to the Transport Workers Union. All of these people are being paid in the order of $95,000 to sit on that tribunal. That is very good. It is good for them. Good on them. But we have had this tribunal in place for two years and, so far, there has not been one remuneration order made by the tribunal that has increased pay for truck drivers.

I know my uncle and father-in-law would love to have increased pay. They would love it. But they have not got any benefits from this remuneration tribunal. The only order the tribunal has made duplicates state based safety regimes—another layer of red tape for employers which makes it harder for them to employ people in the trucking industry. It has not been so much 'safe rates' legislation as 'mate rates' legislation. That is what has happened here. The mates of the union have been able to come in and get lots of largesse from this new body.

I remember when the legislation went through. I remember, Mr Acting Deputy President Sterle, that you gave a very passionate speech on the night about safety in the trucking industry. I was genuinely moved by it. There were a bunch of people up in the gallery who applauded when the legislation went through. But nothing has changed. What has this body been charged with doing? What is it doing, other than providing jobs for former union members and former Labor senators?

I would like to conclude on a couple of issues from that royal commission. Mr Tony Sheldon made some comments around that royal commission last week about the safe rates legislation, including reporting on a tragic accident that occurred last week when a runaway garbage truck had an accident and unfortunately killed somebody. He said at the time that we need the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal because it is 'one of the few mechanisms available to help enforce safe working conditions for drivers.' He used that tragic accident to try to call for the tribunal to stay. As a matter of fact, the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal does not apply to waste collection services, including garbage trucks. It has nothing to do with that industry. Comcare is the national safety regulator that regulates road safety. It has issued a prohibition notice, but the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal has done nothing in response to this accident. The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal is not about safety. It is not about remuneration. It is purely about promoting TWU bosses and securing their influence in the Labor Party.