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

I seek leave to move a motion relating to the Australian Greens and the CFMEU, as has been circulated in the chamber.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice standing in my name, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter—namely, a motion to allow a motion relating to the Australian Greens and the CFMEU to be moved and determined immediately.

The motion circulated in this chamber seeks to highlight what has been a very conspicuous silence from the Australian Greens in relation to the CFMEU and seeks to draw out the position of the Australian Greens in relation to the CFMEU and particularly in relation to taking donations from the CFMEU.

The main story of the whole CFMEU saga of lawlessness, thuggery and corruption has, of course, been the absolute failings within the CFMEU, the damage it's caused to the building and construction industry, and, of course, the shameful neglect of the Labor Party over the years in relation to their engagement with their partner, in the CFMEU. But underneath that main story there has been a subplot, and that subplot is the tale of the magical missing Australian Greens. Maybe the magical missing Australian Greens are on some of their magic mushrooms or the like. But the reality is: the Greens have been suspiciously, conspicuously, totally absent from the debate about the CFMEU, and I move this motion to really present the question of why: Why have the Greens checked themselves out of this debate? What is their real position? Why the silence from the Greens? Why won't they stand up to union thuggery? Why won't they stand up to union corruption? Why won't the Greens stand up to union lawlessness? What is it that the Greens are hiding in their silence?

The Greens have long lined up with Labor to oppose tackling corruption and problems in the construction industry. The Greens were there opposing the establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. The Greens were there opposing the establishment of the Registered Organisations Commission. The Greens were there opposing and, tragically, defeating the ensuring integrity legislation brought to this parliament. So the Greens have been there at every step of the way, blocking every single effort to try to hold corruption, lawlessness and thuggery in the union movement to account. The Greens have been there every step of the way in that regard. Of course, if they hadn't been and if they had engaged constructively on these issues over the years, then the CFMEU, its members, Australia's building and construction industry and Australia's productivity would not be facing the same sorts of problems today as we are, because of the opposition of Labor and the Greens acting in concert to stymie any and all action.

But all of that opposition over the years that we'd been accustomed to—seeing the Greens and Labor sidle up on these matters—has gone from bad to worse through the course of this last year in particular. We saw in relation to the demerger legislation that passed through this parliament, with the government and the opposition working to pass that demerger legislation, that the Greens remained an obstacle to that every single step of the way—never mind those workers who had argued strongly for their rights to be able to get out of the CFMEU and to be able to get away from it. No, the Greens wanted to force them to stay in place, suspiciously blocking and delaying the demerger legislation. Now, in relation to the administration legislation, there is an effort—insufficient though we think it may be, it is at least an effort—to try to clean up the problems in the CFMEU.

From an opposition perspective, we've engaged with the government. We've negotiated amendments. Those negotiations are continuing. We want to see this legislation passed. We want to see legislation passed that is strong, gives guarantees that this administration will work, gives guarantees it will clean up the CFMEU and ensures that, when it comes to the duration of administration, the transparency of administration or political donations, these are dealt with before the legislation passes, such that we can all have confidence.

The Greens aren't part of those negotiations. Do you know how many Greens senators have spoken on the legislation to date? Absolutely none—not one of them has spoken on the legislation to date. I cannot think of another example where the Greens have been so conspicuously and so suspiciously silent. The Greens' silence leaves us all asking: Why? Do we need to follow the money trail? Where do they stand on political donations? (Time expired)