Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

President, if you want to talk about disrespect—it's that lot opposite and the disrespect they have for proper process. It's the disrespect they have for actually cleaning up the CFMEU properly.

This bill can pass today if you agree to clean up your pathetic, inadequate and weak effort in terms of addressing the CFMEU. It can pass today if you accept the very reasonable conditions that Senator Cash and the coalition have put to you. It can pass today if you agree to stop receiving money from the CFMEU while it's in administration. I can think of 6.2 million reasons why they don't want this bill to pass, why they don't want amendments to go through and why they don't want a proper administration in place with proper conditions such as ensuring the CFMEU cannot and does not give money, political donations, to the Labor Party or the Australian Greens, who are deeply suspicious in this whole exercise and who seem to be the ultimate cover-up merchants for Mr Setka.

There are 6.2 million reasons why the Labor Party quite clearly want to pass a bill that still facilitates the money to flow. So accept Senator Cash's amendment to stop donations and this bill could pass. Accept Senator Cash's amendment to ensure that you can't just unwind the administration straight after the next election and this bill could pass. Accept Senator Cash's amendment to ensure there's some transparency around the administration, that actually the administrator appears before this Senate's committees to answer questions, and this bill could pass. But, no, you don't stand for transparency. You stand for taking the money, you stand for ensuring the CFMEU remains in a position to be able to influence politics through its donations, through its grubby money, and you stand for not having a proper clean-up of this corrupt industry.

The real question has to be asked: just how many CFMEU officials or members were actually consulted in the drafting of this bill? It looks like Mr Setka and co sat down and wrote it for themselves. That's what this bill looks like, and you've been dragged, kicking and screaming, to improve the bill thanks to Senator Cash's amendments. But of course you're squibbing it on the ones that really count. You're dodging it when it comes to having transparency. You're dodging it when it comes to having accountability. You're dodging it when it comes to ensuring the job is done properly. And you're well and truly dodging it when it comes to actually ruling out donations and the money.

If you want to follow something in politics, if you want to follow something in business, if you want to follow something in life, you follow the money trail. And the money trail leads right back to the Australian Labor Party when it comes to the CFMEU. There is self-interest scattered right around this frontbench and right around that corner as well—the quiet, obsequious, silent Australian Greens. When it comes to the CFMEU, what sort of grubby deals have been done there? Why is it that you've voted again and again in this chamber, even more than the Labor Party recently, to actually protect the CFMEU? Why are you so silent on this? You don't want any version of this bill to pass, because apparently you want the money even more than they want the money. You want the donations even more than they want the donations. You want the CFMEU's help even more than they want the CFMEU's help. You've got this whole corrupt line-up in terms of money flowing and ultimately a union that has been inflicting huge chaos and contempt across Australia.

You had the ridiculous situation this morning when Minister Watt was asked about the cost impacts of the CFMEU on the state of construction in Australia. What did Minister Watt say? 'I've had a bit of a look at this and I cannot find any evidence whatsoever to support that.' No evidence! How far in the sand is your head buried, Murray Watt? How far down have you buried your head? Honestly! Or is it that you're so clouded by all the donations that you can't see the corruption, you can't see the wrongdoing, you can't see the impact that it is having on the Australian construction industry? This bill can pass. All you have to do is guarantee you won't keep taking the money.