Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm disappointed, but I have to touch on this. I listened to Senator Hanson's speech quietly. She went to the Voice. I understand the country have had the opportunity to have their say, and they did have their say, but I find it really bitterly disappointing that it has to keep being dragged up as 'dividing the nation'. I want to say this, Senator Hanson, and you know my views on this: I am so proud to work in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and my very dear friends up there, the majority of them Aboriginal, asked me for their support, and I was very pleased to give them my support. When the Voice is thrown up with the racial division stuff—people are still hurting out there. Aboriginal people are still hurting. A lot of my Aboriginal friends in the Kimberley really took that to heart; it was a real kick in the guts for them, I have to say. You will speak for yourself, Senator Hanson, but it disappoints me when I hear that.

I just want to touch on a few other things. Senator Hanson, I have the greatest respect for you and I think I've always treated you as an individual, as you have treated me, but you make statements around corrupt union bosses, and it's the same rhetoric. We have just passed in this parliament—and I know you didn't support the bill; I know you weren't here, for other reasons—the 'closing the loopholes' bill. Part of that was a demographic of Australian workers, a lot of whom had respect for you when you stood with them and encouraged the former government to get rid of the RSRT, which was flawed—nothing was put back in its place. But they were bitterly disappointed that they didn't get that opportunity to stand up for transport reform. They can speak for themselves.

There were some issues that we went through that went to the heart of the road transport industry in the first tranche, which Senator David Pocock, Senator Lambie and Senator Thorpe supported. One was criminalising wage theft, and another was 'same job, same pay'. These were integral issues that went to the heart of the road transport industry, where so many really good operators, not only owner-drivers but employers—and you have never heard me count out the transport industry.

I see us all as even. I see us all as decent human beings who get up in the morning and just want to go to work to get paid properly. But when they didn't seek that support, the transport industry said to its elected representatives, 'Why are we any different to other sectors?'

I know there are a lot of members in this building here that protect and stand up for the farming, agriculture and horticulture industries. On my side, with 18½ years sitting on the RRAT committee, I'm a champion for the horticulture, agriculture, processing and producing industries in this nation, and I know Senator Hanson and other senators have been very forthright in standing up for dairy farmers—I know because I have been sitting beside you on Senate inquiries. But while the economic employers at the top of the supply chain think about this—and we know who they are, we know the retail companies, we sit in their DCs not getting paid for three or four hours waiting, and they can defend themselves—and while they're are suppressing their supply chain costs and screwing down farmers, they are doing it to my industry too. But my industry said, 'Stop, we don't want to be screwed down anymore; we want to have some minimum standards.'

I get so annoyed when others on the other side stand up and scream about the poor farmers getting screwed down—which I wouldn't argue with—and say they want to reduce the cost of the transport industry. I ask all senators in this building: why is it fair to suppress one industry because another industry is being screwed down? I don't think it is and I would be the first person in this building to stand—no one in this chamber will beat me—if we introduced minimum standards for the agriculture industry so those economic gorillas at the top of the economic supply chain can't screw them down like they have been screwing our trucking industry. So when we start talking and debating, and we have passionate views, I just say this: every action has a reaction and a knock-on effect, but when other industries are attacked, or do not get the love because they want to be paid properly but other industries are getting screwed, we should think more about the bigger picture on this one. That is my humble opinion.