Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

It would be a good thing if similar respect could be shown to all speakers, whether it be me or anyone else. I know you don't want to hear the arguments against this, but I'm here to provide them to you. The government will be opposing this motion. First of all, it's an attempt to disrupt the program, which has already been set, which is to deal with matters including the workplace gender equality amendment, setting gender equality targets. We've just heard from Senator Cash about why supporting women in workplaces is important, but her political stunt now is about stopping debate on workplace gender equality amendment legislation, which is about setting gender equality targets. So it's a political stunt designed to disrupt a program which has already been listed.

But let's go to the substance of what Senator Cash is trying to do. The allegations we saw again on 60 Minutes and in other media reports a week ago were completely unacceptable, were appalling and were the direct result of the investigations commissioned by the administrator of the CFMEU. I know Senator Cash isn't prepared to listen to arguments and would rather yell than listen to those arguments, but the reality is that many of the allegations that we have seen on our TV screens over the last 12 months occurred while the coalition was in power and while it had an ABCC in force. These things were going on under the nose of the ABCC while it was prosecuting workers for putting stickers on their helmets and while it was prosecuting workers and unions for displaying flags on worksites. All of this criminality was not just occurring but flourishing while the ABCC was in place under a coalition government. Do you know what started to change that? It was the actions of a Labor government, which took the unprecedented step of passing legislation through this parliament that enabled the appointment of an administrator to the CFMEU who is beginning the long, difficult job of cleaning up an organisation that desperately needed cleaning up.

We also need to recognise, of course, that, as horrifying as some of the allegations we've seen about activities within the CFMEU are—and they are horrifying—there has also been terrible misbehaviour on the part of some employers and some labour hire firm operators in the sector. You never hear anything about that from the coalition; it's only about unions and workers. This government is about cleaning up the construction sector as a whole—including the CFMEU, gangland figures like Mick Gatto and the other corrupt individuals who are involved in this industry. Senator Paterson may have observed that only a week or so ago, as a result of investigations by the CFMEU administrator that are occurring, the Australian Federal Police raided a number of premises that seemed to be connected to these gangland figures. It might be politically convenient for the opposition to argue that things haven't changed enough within the CFMEU in the six months that the administrator has been in power, but the only reason we are seeing these revelations in the media, the only reason we are seeing police raids and the only reason we have seen a number of officials, organisers and delegates sacked from the CFMEU for misbehaviour is the appointment of the administrator. So the administrator should be able, unimpeded by political stunts like this one from Senator Cash, to continue the job of cleaning up the CFMEU and ensuring that workers in the construction sector have a strong and effective union to defend their rights and their safety at work.

Just very briefly, in the time I have left, I might go to what Senator Cash's bill seeks to do. We saw that press conference in Melbourne the other day with the opposition leader, Senator Cash and Senator Paterson—and every other senator who wanted to try to get their mug on TV. What did they say they wanted to do and what is contained within the bill? Well, for all their complaints about the activities of the CFMEU and John Setka and people like that, if this bill passes it will deregister the CFMEU. It will mean the CFMEU is not subject to any regulation whatsoever. You are effectively handing the keys for the CFMEU national office back to John Setka. You are handing the keys to the CFMEU back to the criminals and crooks who'd been thrown out of the CFMEU, because you are going to allow them to operate in an unregulated environment. Do you really think that's going to make things better? You will bring back the ABCC, under which this activity flourished with no consequences. You will put in place a police taskforce that already exists. This will let the worst elements back out on construction sites— (Time expired)