Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish take note went for 20 minutes because I would talk about the budget and about Labor feeding fear. But let me talk about industrial relations because we have heard it twice. We heard it yesterday and we have heard it today. Let us just reflect. What is that feeding false hope? What is that feeding fear in the context of industrial relations? We know the coalition has a plan when it comes to industrial relations reform. Let us reflect. I am going to do this in two parts. I am going to talk briefly about the coalition's plan and then I am going to talk about what Labor does not say.

The coalition has a reform plan to address greenfield agreements, which will stop rogue unions extorting unfair deals from employers. We have a plan that will close Labor's strike-first-talk-later loophole in the bargaining laws—laws that Labor refused to fix and that we had promised would never occur—and our plan will clarify individual flexibility arrangements confirming the way Labor promised they would operate under the Fair Work Act so that employees can only trade up, must genuinely agree to the arrangements and be better off overall.

Let us reflect, what does Labor not say? It does not say that those coalition industrial relations reform measures are endorsed by some people in Labor. You are feeding fear where there is no fear to be found. What did Paul Howes, former national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, say? He said: 'I, Paul Howes, have no issue with coalition policy. There should be zero tolerance of any criminal activity.' That was an endorsement from Paul Howes about the coalition's industrial relations policy. Let us have a look at what Martin Ferguson, former ACTU president and former Labor cabinet minister no less, said. He said:

It should be seen for what it was: a mechanism that holds both sides to account and which can help deliver projects on time and on budget.

With regard to the Fair Work Bill, Mr Ferguson also said that:

… the changes are a step in the right direction, they are really quite modest.

What we have had the last few nights is an insight into Labor's DNA when the former Prime Minister said with regard to her conversation with Kevin Rudd that it was:

… a conversation went too long, I certainly fed hope. I shouldn't have done that.

We had a contribution from Senator Cameron today feeding fear where there is no fear to be found with regard to industrial relations reform. We had Labor trying to feed fear into South Australia and the submarine program where there is no fear to be seen.

Shamefully, we had Labor trying to feed fear into Australia's Indigenous communities where there is no fear to be had. What we have had is a glimpse into Labor's DNA, not from a Labor party member but from a former Labor Prime Minister. Shameful. Shameful. Shameful. (Time expired)