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

I can't believe how lucky I am today, because I just want to correct the record. Senator Smith is a long-time, proud Western Australian, is a long-time activist and employee in the road transport industry and has been self-employed. I do love it when you talk about the transport industry in Western Australia, but I couldn't wait to tell my mates in WA that Senator Smith, Senator Cash and all the Western Aussies could not wait to vote down the transport reform that we voted on here two weeks ago. I do love the way you talk about how, all of a sudden, you've had a road-to-Damascus moment and that you love the trucking industry. I just wish it was here when the truckies needed you—when you, led by Senator Cash, tipped a bucket of bile on the transport industry when you stood up for the mining industry. Let me get this really clear for people. The transport industry throughout Australia was absolutely united for transport reform. There was not one blowout. Not one organisation went to the papers and made adverse commentary. But you kicked them in the guts with the Minerals Council of Australia. These poor devils, the miners! God help us if they have to pay the same pay for the same job. Isn't that right, Senator Sheldon? We should never impose that on the miners. Everyone else can pay but why should the poor miners?

The Minerals Council of Australia, led by Ms Tania Constable, hand-in-hand with the National Farmers Federation—and I won't waste too much oxygen on them—the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and COSBOA, put $24 million of their members' money was into a campaign to deny the Australian trucking industry reform. God help them if Australia's transport industry could be paid on time, could be respected, could be safe and could be sustainable and viable. They won't forget that. I will never forget that and I will keep reminding those opposite about it.

It is a shame we have lost Senator Smith. He obviously has something else he has to go to. I understand that; we all have those issues around here. But I am now going to make a heartfelt offer here from the bottom of my heart. I did 16 years as a furniture removalist with Ansett Wridgways before I moved on from that. I still have a bit of experience. I can still lump a bit of furniture. I can actually walk into your kitchen and pack all your valuables. I can walk into your lounge room or your bedroom; I can do the whole lot. I'll get the cartons because I've got mates in the removal industry—not a problem. I'll get all the wine cartons. I'll get the port-a-robes for your clothes. I'll even pull the tape out and gnash it with my teeth to set the cartons up.

Hell, you know what, Senator Smith? I might even give up a weekend to come around and do all the loading for you for free. I'll have a word to my mates in the trucking industry and I'll happily pack up your home, pack you and your partner up, and get you over to Tassie. If that is where you want to be, Senator Smith, sing out. I've been known to be a very generous person with my old skills in the removal industry. If Western Australia is that bad a place to live, go. We're not holding you there. I'm not holding you there. I'm proud to say that I've been in Western Australia since 1960. I am not leaving the best part of Australia.

This nonsense to carry on about how hard-done-by Western Australians are. For crying out loud, we had the best leadership through the pandemic; we had the best premier; we had the best system. Not one Western Australian in this place could whinge, because we didn't suffer the lockdowns that were witnessed around Australia; we didn't suffer all these days of not being able to see family. In fact, in WA, if I remember rightly, we had two lockdowns. The first one was a couple of weeks, I think. But then under that brilliant leadership of the Labor government—Mark McGowan and the health minister at the time Roger Cook, who is now our Premier and a damn good Premier—we enjoyed life as normal.

There were a few constraints upon us. We couldn't go into remote Aboriginal communities or nursing homes unless we had been isolating for two weeks. We still went out, we still went to pubs and we still went to restaurants. Yes, we had to socially distance and all that sort of stuff. But I have to tell you, any Western Australian who sits in here and reckons Western Australia is that bad, go and talk to your Victorian mates about some of the pressures they had. As I said, Senator Smith, from the bottom of my heart, and I have been known to be very generous, I'm very happy to come and pack you up, talk to my removalist mates and get you out of Western Australia if that is what you so desire. And, if you want to go to Tassie, I can organise that, too.