Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I do find this matter of public importance on energy quite surprising. When they put up a motion like this one, I do think it shows that there is a lack of self-reflection by those opposite. I wonder how much thought goes into it. I say that because, in terms of all these matters that they raise as being matters of public importance, they actually have a record in relation to these matters from when they were in government two years ago. Before they put forward such motions, do they not actually think about what their record was and the consequences for the Australian people? It is a record that deserves to be highlighted, and it is a record that I believe was a key determinant in why people rejected them at the last election and sent them into opposition.

Let's consider the elements of this matter of public importance and highlight the previous government's record in regard to this. Let's talk about industrial relations and the low wages that were a deliberate design feature of the economy. That's something which we highlighted in opposition and which we continue to talk about because, of course, they've done nothing to accept responsibility for the damage to the economy they caused and the pain they caused to working people in this country. When it comes to labour hire—and I've seen this in Queensland in particular, in the resources dependent communities—they let it run rampant. In terms of the consequences of labour hire, as well as the way labour hire drives down wages and conditions for other employees, there is also the impact it has on communities. It hurts people. It hurts their ability to get a loan for a car or a loan for a house. These are the consequences of labour hire, and that was the policy of those opposite that was allowed to run rampant across many parts of the economy, particularly in regional Queensland. In regard to industrial relations, they did nothing to support low-paid workers. They made no changes that were going to improve the ability of those workers to make ends meet and get ahead in life. So, when it comes to industrial relations, their record in government was appalling, and we've had to work to correct it.

In regard to energy, we regularly highlight the more than 20 energy policies that they had when they were in government. We know the chaos and uncertainty that that caused industry as a result, let alone the chaos and uncertainty caused by the demonising of renewables that continues to this day from those opposite. When you think about their record, what do they actually have to show for their years in government? What we do know is that they spent $3.3 million on a study to build a new coal-fired power station in Collinsville. Whatever happened to that $3.3 million and that study? Where have they gone? That is actually their record in government. So, when they come in with a motion like this, it is important to highlight their record. They've done nothing to own up to the mistakes they made in government and actually say, 'We got it wrong.'

There is a clear contrast with this government. What we are doing on wages is supporting low-paid workers. We've made changes to the system to enable them to bargain more effectively. We've supported increases in the minimum wage that are actually going to make a difference in helping people continue to keep their heads above water. In regard to labour hire, we've cracked down on the loopholes, ensuring that those people doing the same job are earning the same pay. That's a significant change for many people, particularly the ones I've seen in regional Queensland. As I mentioned, there were changes to the bargaining system to allow those people, particularly in the feminised industries, the opportunity to bargain more effectively and increase their pay. In energy, we have a clear ambition: emissions down, reliability up and relief for families on prices.

So when you look at this motion and the record of this government, as opposed to those opposite, it shows you that we are actually a complete contrast to them. On all these issues, which are significant issues, we're actually taking action. When you look at their record and how despicable it was and how sorry it was, they actually need to take ownership of that and say, 'We got it wrong.' When it comes to energy, again I'll use the example of the $3.3 million they gave to a study for a coal-fired power station in Collinsville. We never saw anything of that. The fact of the matter is that it was used to create a bit of a culture war. That's what it was used for in the election campaign. The $3.3 million disappeared up a drain somewhere. We haven't seen any evidence of it. But they've learned nothing from that, because that's what we are getting from those opposite around nuclear energy. They're not committed to it. They just want to use this as a scare campaign and as a culture war, because they don't want to actually embrace renewables. That's their record in government. That's their record in opposition. You can't believe a word they say when it comes to energy, whereas this is a government that is getting on with the job, building reliability and ensuring that we have a safe future.