Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Is the minister aware of Australian Bureau of Statistics figures that show that women on AWAs earn less per hour than their counterparts on certified agreements? Is the minister aware of ABS figures that show women on AWAs work more hours, on average, than women on certified agreements? Can the minister explain why ABS figures show that casual workers on AWAs are paid less per hour than their counterparts on certified agreements? Haven’t AWAs seen women required to work longer hours at a lower hourly rate than they would have on a certified agreement? Minister, hasn’t Work Choices seen many women workers made worse off?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In short, the answer is: absolutely not. The women of Australia, like all Australians, have benefited from Work Choices. Allow me to remind the honourable senator of some of the crucial facts and invite her not to swallow, hook, line and sinker, the silly and dishonest propaganda of the trade union movement. Since the government came to office, over one million jobs have been created for women—a bad result, no doubt, for the honourable senator! Since the commencement of Work Choices, employment for women has increased by 113,500. As a result of Work Choices, there are now an extra 113,500 women employed. I suppose that is a bad result for the honourable senator!

What about the participation rate of women? Under the coalition government, the female participation rate has averaged 55.2 per cent compared with 50 per cent under the Labor government. So the participation rate of women has increased under the Howard government—another statistic that those opposite do not want to know about. Since the commencement of Work Choices, the female participation rate has increased by 0.7 percentage points to 57.6 per cent. Since the government came to office, earnings for full-time, adult women have increased by 60 per cent in nominal terms and 22.6 per cent in real terms. Under the 13 years of Labor, real earnings for full-time, adult women increased by only about one-third of that rate: 8.8 per cent. So, when we look at these statistics and figures, there is no doubt that the working women of Australia are far better off as a result of the policies of the Howard government.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that the number of women on AWAs has more than doubled, from 47,700 in May 2000 to over 102,300 in May 2006. It begs the question: why are these women signing up, on a voluntary basis, to Australian workplace agreements? Because they are better for the working women of this country.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is too much noise in the chamber. Come to order!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As soon as you come out with the facts that hurt the Labor Party, there is this cacophony to ensure that the Australian people do not get to hear the facts. I can assure those opposite that we will continue to put out the facts for the Australian people. There are over 100,000 women—113,500 women—who have a job today because of our industrial relations reforms of only 12 months ago and, what is more, they are earning more in real terms. As at the end of February 2007, 116,184 Work Choices AWAs for women have been lodged. Over the same period, the number of women on registered collective agreements increased by 436,400 to 1,706,200, while the number of women paid award rates fell by 110,900.

George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Where are you getting these figures from?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The silly senator, George Campbell, interjects and says, ‘Where are you getting these figures from?’ It is the same ABS data that your colleague is quoting, but unlike her I am not—

George Campbell (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator George Campbell interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator George Campbell! I would remind you that shouting across the chamber is disorderly.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister also explain why Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that casual workers, who make up over 20 per cent of our workforce, are worse off by up to $3.80 per hour if they are on AWAs? Minister, hasn’t your government made life tougher for thousands of Australians?

An incident having occurred in the gallery—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is one of the more intelligent supporters of the Labor Party in the gallery! If the honourable senator is genuinely concerned about the fate of working men and women in Australia, can she explain to the Australian people why it was acceptable to have one million of our fellow Australians on the economic scrapheap of unemployment—10 per cent of whom were contributed courtesy of Senator George Campbell’s activities as a trade unionist? You do not need my authority for that. Former Labor Party Prime Minister Paul Keating made that allegation of Senator George Campbell. Let us be in no doubt, the unemployment rate is down to 4.6 per cent because of the tough decisions we have taken, and the men and women of Australia know it.