Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, senators have asked you tonight some very specific questions, asking you to provide details about what the clauses are that are detrimental to volunteers, and you keep giving the same answer—it is getting quite insulting actually—where you rely on telling us what an enterprise bargaining agreement is. It is just extraordinary that a minister is relying on such a simplistic way to avoid answering the question.

You have stated also within this, and Senator Cameron has commented on this and I have said previously that it is deeply insulting—you keep running this line, and are really pushing this wedge. You are the one pushing the wedge that you have some firefighters who are good, implying that there are some firefighters that are not good. That is so deeply damaging. At a time when we need to be rebuilding trust you are further damaging here tonight every time you get up and speak.

You are cherry picking quotes from documents where you can pick out pieces that you think back up your argument. Then what we are hearing from you when you get on to talking about the enterprise bargaining agreement is that it is about expanding the reach of the union into volunteer arrangements. And then you give us again that rave that you are just so fond of, making out that volunteers are so much better than the other firefighters. It is so damaging.

In the latest comment I noticed when you got onto talking about the EBA, you said that it was expanding the reach of unions into voluntary arrangements beyond what contemplated in the Fair Work Act.