Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is a lie is it Senator Cameron? The second one is that we are going to stop the boats. That is another lie, is it, Senator Cameron? Look at your performance in government. The third pillar is that we are going to build the roads of the twenty-first century and we all know that they are well and truly underway. The fourth one is that we are going to fix the budget. Every one of those are well and truly underway. But do not allow Senator Cameron's interjections to interfere.

What did the Leader of the Government in the Senate say in answer to questions today? He said that the Fair Work Commission is the appropriate place for these issues to be debated. And, indeed, they have been debated. If I could refer to Mr John Hart and the hospitality and catering industry, who took to the Fair Work Commission a case that said that a circumstance—particularly on Mondays that are public holidays—that the 75 percent penalty for people working on those days was too high, and he won the case.

Let me give you some stats, because these are important, particularly to employment for long-term unemployed people—young people, older people and regional people. Deloittes were commissioned by hospitality and catering to look at where the job needs are. They came back recently with a figure of 65,000 jobs unfilled in hospitality and catering by the end of 2014. When you add tourism to that, it goes up to 80,000 jobs that are there begging. The other day when we spoke to the president of the Australian Hotels Association in Perth, the question was asked, 'Why are there so many foreign sounding accents on the other side of the bars?' He said that a recent survey indicated—Senator Sterle who travels throughout the state will be interested in this—that his members could not find local Australians to take 45 per cent of the jobs in hotels in WA. So, that is where the demand is and that is where the opportunities lie. When we heard poor old Senator Cameron going on about overseas workers, let me make this point very, very clearly: it is always in a company's interests, it is always in Roy Hill's interests, to employ Australians. Why? Because you do not have to relocate them from another country. You do not have to orientate them to our country. You do not have to provide all of those necessities that are not necessary for Australians. That is why we will always prefer Australians rather than those who are not from our country.

But the simple fact of the matter is, as those of us from the powerhouse state of Western Australia know, that we cannot always fill the jobs with those who have the necessary skills. A good example is welding skills on some of our offshore projects at the moment. What are we going to do? Not go ahead with those projects? Is that in the best interests of Australia? Is that in the best interest of Western Australians and Australian workers generally? Not to actually go ahead with those projects? No, it isn't the best thing!

Senator Bilyk interjecting—

Thank you, Senator Bilyk, for your contribution. I appreciate it.

Senator Cameron interjecting—

It is in the best interests of Australia, obviously, to employ Australians. But when we cannot, the best interest surely must lie with getting in those visa holders who can do the work skilfully—not to the exclusion of Australians.

Senator Cameron made an observation. What he omitted to do in talking about wages below, of course, was to say—and I am going to read the background here, if I may—listen carefully, through you, Mr Deputy President, to Senator Cameron: 'in exceptional circumstances, if the employer has not been able to find an Australian worker in an occupation where the award or the market rate is below.' There we are! If you cannot find an Australian worker you go and have a look at another one.

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Since Senator Cameron invited the opportunity to respond to all questions asked of Senator Abetz I am delighted to be able to respond to those of Senator Sterle. It is wonderful in the coalition that we can canvas a wide range of views, because we have a wide range geographically, as Senator Sterle himself well knows.

We have a mainly export-oriented wheat industry in Western Australia—

Senator Bilyk interjecting—

Ninety-five per cent, Senator Bilyk—you do not grow much wheat in Tasmania—95 per cent of our wheat is exported, regardless of the size of the harvest.

Here on the east coast sometimes very little is exported; depending on their harvest it might be nearly all taken domestically. So thank you very much. There is a circumstance: we in the coalition have the opportunity to canvas the wide range of views and to come up—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

You would not believe it, Senator Cameron: we can come up with good decisions based on good policy! Try it sometime! You will be interested— (Time expired)