Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Williams for his question, and for everything he has done to support owner-drivers in Australia—something that those on the other side refuse to do. Owner-drivers—small business people—are the backbone of Australia's economy. They are vital to Australia's supply chain and they offer critical support for local communities. Anyone from rural and regional Australia—as Senator Williams knows—knows what these owner-drivers do for their small communities. But, because of a dirty deal that was done between the former Labor government—former Prime Minister Gillard and Mr Shorten as the industrial relations minister—and the TWU, owner-drivers are today literally being decimated across Australia—absolutely decimated. These are people who mortgage their homes to buy a truck. That truck is their small business. That truck is their life. For Mr Shorten and for Tony Sheldon to say that these owner-drivers are anything other than safe on our roads and highly responsible for the safety of their vehicles is nothing short of an insult to them, particularly when they are mums and dads—mums and dads who have kids at home; who go out on long-haul drives and who want to get home and see their kids at night. It is an insult to them that you would say that they are anything other than safe.

What we know is this: why was this dirty little deal done? Well, when the former Labor government—despite saying, 'there will be no carbon tax policy under our government'—brought in the carbon tax, Tony Sheldon went straight to them and said: 'The carbon tax is a death tax.' So what did they do? They promised Tony Sheldon the RSRT and, miraculously, the campaign went away—nothing more and nothing less.