Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday I learned of the tragic loss of a long-term Queensland coalminer at Carborough Downs, which is north-east of Moranbah, off the Peak Downs Highway. Brad Duxbury was a 57-year-old member of the Fitzroy Australia Resources team, and I have no doubt that his death will impact not only his family but the tight-knit Queensland coalmining community and equally the people of Moranbah and Coppabella. While I understand his family have asked for privacy as they work through this difficult time, I would like them to know that he has been recognised not only by his colleagues but by those here in this parliament as well.

We are here to discuss the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity) Bill 2019. The government have outlined that this bill is in response to the final report of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption and is to ensure the integrity of registered organisations and their officials. There are four schedules to the bill: schedule 1, which determines the disqualification of officers; schedule 2, the cancellation of union registration; schedule 3, the administration of dysfunctional unions; and schedule 4, a public interest test for union amalgamation.

I've always been a person who has understood the need for unions throughout Australia. But, at the same time, I'm also on the record as saying that I've forewarned union bosses that bullying and thuggery must be stamped out in accordance with public expectations. I won't beat around the bush: the CFMMEU are one of the main reasons we're here debating this bill. The breaches this union have been found guilty of have frustrated businesses, the courts and, at times, their own members. They have protested at my own party headquarters, but I also acknowledge that they have protested at Labor and Liberal offices as well. They're big and they're powerful, and I can understand why some people find them awfully intimidating.

On the other hand, we've got unions that represent musicians, the aviation industry, the finance sector, firefighters, the media, teachers, electricians, plumbers, nurses, cleaners, retail workers, maritime workers and many of our lowest paid blue-collar workers throughout the country. We either rarely hear from those unions or don't hear from them at all.

I have been an employer. The success of any business comes down to a number of factors, but one of those unquestionable factors is workers. I've always said that employees have a right to a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and they also have a right to return home safely to their family at the end of their shift. I'm well aware that this parliament has attempted to stamp out unfair behaviour between employers and employees through the implementation of the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman. I note in the Fair Work Ombudsman's annual performance statement that Sandra Parker states:

A changing workplace environment increases the opportunity for unscrupulous employers to evade detection, particularly where vulnerable workers are employed. Wage exploitation of migrant workers also remains a complex issue as it crosses employment, migration, corporations, taxation and other laws.

The Fair Work Ombudsman's annual performance statement also says:

I find this report alarming, and this is why frustration has grown amongst workers and their representative bodies across Australia.

Andrew White and Ewin Hannan from The Australian wrote a story on 20 November this year that stated that PricewaterhouseCoopers estimate wage theft of Australian workers is as much as $1.35 billion each year. Those most at risk of wage theft are construction, healthcare, retail, accommodation and food service workers. Construction is the biggest risk area, with as much as $320 million in annual underpayment of wages, according to the modelling by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

I've got no doubt a large portion of the problem is due to the complexity surrounding awards. This is something I blame on the government and unions collectively. The mere mention of reform in our awards or industrial relations sector triggers warnings of John Howard's Work Choices policy, but when you've got mum-and-dad businesses as well as corporate companies like Woolworths, Supercheap, Michael Hill and our own ABC stuffing up people's wages because of the complexity of working out hourly rates, we have to show some maturity and acknowledge that change is required.

The Attorney-General, Christian Porter, is on the record accusing companies of being hopeless when it comes to ensuring workers are properly paid. He said many employers spent more time on minimising tax than on their workplace obligations, and he's right. There were around 750 multinational companies operating in Australia throughout the 2016-17 financial year. Collectively they generated $612 billion in revenue but, after expenses, paid just $10 billion in tax. To put that into perspective, the 750 multinational companies across Australia paid an average of 1.63 per cent in tax. To offer a further perspective on how little multinationals pay, Australian smokers paid almost $13 billion in excise taxes that same year. That's $3 billion more than the 750 multinational companies who are ripping the guts out of Australia and sending their profits offshore.

The Morrison government's solution to this was a bill with a title that led the public to believe the government were doing something about multinational tax avoidance, called the Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Sure Multinationals Pay Their Fair Share of Tax in Australia and Other Measures) Bill 2019. For the sake of transparency, the bill raises a measly $125 million extra from $612 billion in revenue. That's an extra—wait for this—0.02 per cent in additional tax. I find it ironic that we're here to debate ensuring integrity in our unions but fail to hold the integrity of our multinational corporates to account, especially when we carry a national debt of almost $600 billion.

This government raises a valid concern when it argues that Australia's biggest union has racked up 2,000 breaches and over $16 billion in penalties over the last 15 years. But, on the other hand, only last week Westpac accrued more than 23 million breaches for potential money laundering. The breaches raise enormous concern that these overseas transactions could have ended up financing terrorism, child exploitation and pornography. It's mind-boggling. Each breach carries a penalty of up to $63,000, which could potentially see Westpac face fines of more than $1 billion. They're not the only ones. The Commonwealth Bank were caught doing the same thing in 2018 and agreed to pay $700 million for their illegal actions. Again, where is the integrity of our banking system?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison didn't seem too concerned when he was asked about the issue on the ABC last week. He was quoted as saying:

Well, that's ultimately a judgment for the board of Westpac, I mean it's for the board to make decisions about who should be running banks, not governments.

I would argue the government does have a say over the integrity of our banks, given it's a major stakeholder in each and every one of them through the Guarantee Scheme for Large Deposits and Wholesale Funding. As fate would have it, Westpac's chief executive, Brian Hartzer, announced he will step down on 2 December but take with him $2.7 million in lieu of 12 months notice. Again, where is the integrity? What I pick up from the public is a crystal-clear view that this government, and past governments, have one rule for white-collar crime and a much harsher rule for blue-collar crime. In fact, in a letter to the editor in today's Sydney Morning Herald, Jim Iveson from Hornsby Heights said, 'A more appropriate name would have been the ensuring inequality bill.'

I hate to break the bad news to Australian workers, but One Nation are now the only political party left defending Australian jobs. This week Labor again abandoned young and older Australians at a time when youth and over-50s unemployment is at record high levels. They did it by way of new free trade agreements with Indonesia, Peru and Hong Kong which approved an increase in the number of foreign workers as a part of those deals. If you've ever had any question over why wages have stagnated, it's because we keep allowing in cheap labour from developing countries. So, if Australian workers or unions want to be upset with anyone this week, don't be upset with the crossbench members; take your fury out on Labor and the Liberal-National government.

I have put forward 11 amendments to the ensuring integrity bill, which were circulated last week. Members of all unions should know that I've made these amendments with the support of Senator Roberts and your union representatives. The intent of these changes is to further protect Australian workers and minimise the risk of deregistration over paperwork misdemeanours and the like. One Nation note and appreciate the level of consultation from the Queensland Law Society. I also want to acknowledge the early dialogue with the unions that was initiated by Central Queensland union member Chris Brodsky. It was his approach and introduction that led to the very worthwhile discussions Senator Roberts and I had with the CFMMEU, the AWU and, in total, 10 union bodies across Australia. We haven't taken our role on this bill lightly when determining our amendments. It's also worth noting the input from the chambers of commerce, Master Builders, the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the countless phone calls from workers across Queensland and Australia. I'd also like to thank the Attorney-General, who has made himself and his staff available throughout this very long consultation process.