Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I can understand the sensitively of those opposite to the facts that I have laid out exceptionally carefully. There is no doubt that Mr Melhem and the Australian Workers' Union provided to the court an agreed statement of facts, agreeing that the figures that they had presented were rorted. They were falsified. People's names had been put on the record without their knowledge, courtesy of the enterprise agreements and cooperation from their employers. And the boast that I just read out, which seems to have excited the interjection, was on the public record on 13 February 2005, which can be easily shown to be correct. So, I understand the sensitivity of the Australian Labor Party. When these matters, these dodgy deals, are fully highlighted, one gets to see what really motivates the Australian Labor Party in this. Is there any Australian who genuinely believes that anybody in this place would want to see Australian workers paid less? Of course there isn't. Each and every one of us is dedicated, one would hope, to the service of the Australian people and to wanting the very best for them.

We on this side know that the opportunity of employment enhances somebody's self-esteem, their social interaction, their physical health, their mental health. The social good of employment is there for all to see. That is why it's so important that any policy initiative is designed to ensure that more of our fellow Australians can get onto the ladder of opportunity which is employment. The capacity to be self-reliant, the self-esteem of knowing that you can look after yourself and your fellow family members of the same household, these are the good things that come out of employment. That is why we on this side, we as a government, so unrelentingly pursue not only every single employment opportunity but also good wages and outcomes, always as determined by the independent umpire, the Fair Work Commission, established by none other than the Australian Labor Party.