Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I would like to acknowledge the introduction of the government’s Work Choices legislation 12 months ago. We know that this week it has been a source of debate in this chamber and we know that the premiers, after last week’s New South Wales state election and the previous Victorian election, late last year, are ritualistically getting up there to say that it was Work Choices, the government’s industrial relations legislation, that led to their glorious victories. We know Labor is going to make this a centrepiece of the forthcoming federal election. When we first introduced this legislation 12 months ago the opposition declared that basically the sky would fall in. Just listen to some of the comments that were made when we first introduced this legislation. Sharan Barrows, the ACTU President—

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sharan Burrow.

Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Burrow. She is one of the most insignificant presidents of the ACTU. Bob Hawke, of course, was the most high-profile, but the current one is one of the most insignificant ones. Is it any wonder when she makes comments like, ‘Parents will not be home for Christmas because of the Work Choices legislation’? There were others foolishly making comments such as, ‘Children will be going to school without shoes.’ We had members on the other side—the former leader—saying that it would be a green light for mass dismissals. There were even more foolish comments by Bill Shorten and other union leaders. We also know that the unions have levied their members to the tune of $30 million—a war chest for the forthcoming federal election—to run dishonest ads. I say ‘dishonest ads’ because we have already seen the types of ads placed on television last year and running in the early part of this year. So bad and so dishonest were some of those advertisements that they were pulled off the television.

Having laid that foundation, I stand up here to acknowledge the 12 months of Work Choices legislation—perhaps one of the government’s boldest reforms. This government has never stepped back from introducing reforms. We started reforming in our first term, and the Work Choices legislation was 10 years into this government. So from the first day we came into government through to our 10th year we have not stop reforming. Let us look at some of those reforms. Within our first term we introduced an independent Reserve Bank. Why did we do that? Because the former Prime Minister boasted how he had the Reserve Bank in his pocket, compromising their very work. We introduced an independent Reserve Bank. You did not like that. You voted and stood against it.

We introduced a Charter of Budget Honesty in our first term. Why did we do that? Because you went to the last election lying about the budget situation. When we came in we found a $10 billion deficit. That is why we introduced that. In our first term we introduced very courageous and tough cuts to the budget. Why? To lay the foundations for producing budget surpluses. You voted against that. We also in our first term and throughout our whole 11 years have put in place a debt reduction strategy. You were against that.

Sandy Macdonald (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! You have to direct your comments through the chair, Senator McGauran.

Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me go through just a few more reforms. In our first and second terms and right through to now there has been the sale of Telstra. It took us three tranches to get rid of Telstra. On each occasion you did not support it. Of course there was tax reform in our first term—the bold introduction of the GST. Try and take the GST away from the economy now. You were against that. What is more, you were against personal income tax cuts.

I mention all this in the light of the fact that this government has been a reforming government. We have introduced bold reform and we have stuck by it. There has not been one occasion that the other side have supported us. Mr Acting Deputy President, you would be quite surprised if I were to tell you that, while on each occasion they opposed each of those reforms that I mentioned—the independence of the Reserve Bank, the Charter of Budget Honesty, budget surpluses, tax reform, the cleaning up of the waterfront, debt reduction, and the sale of Telstra, no less—the opposition now support every single one. They are going to the next election—wisely, I should add; common sense has finally come to them—supporting every single one of those reforms.

But there is one reform they will not change on, I bet, and that is the government’s Work Choices legislation. When we introduced it they said it would be a disaster for the workers and a disaster for the economy. The verdict is in and we have the result. I rise tonight to acknowledge that after 12 months—a fair time to see whether the Work Choices would meet all expectations of the government or for that matter of the opposition—the verdict is in.

Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tell us what it is.

Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have heard it throughout the course of the day. I can tell you there is a long line of speakers from the government side to match your speakers—who are no doubt going to give a different story full of con and delusion—because the facts are here. The facts are that within the 12 months of Work Choices there have been 263,700 jobs created, and wages have increased. It is not just the creation of jobs; wages have increased because they are linked to productivity. That is the whole purpose of the introduction of these industrial relations laws. They have been introduced so as to make the economy stronger and to keep it productive and competitive internationally.

What is more, not only have wages and employment increased, but the number of industrial disputes has now reached an all-time low—the lowest since Federation. We no longer have these national strikes where the waterfront goes out and the transport union goes out in sympathy. When was the last time we had a national strike in this country? We have reached a point where industrial disputes are at their lowest ever.

What is the alternative? The alternative is a return to the old centralised system. What will we get? Small business will get a return of the Labor unfair dismissal laws. Nothing sends a shiver up the spine of small business more than the return of Labor’s idea of what unfair dismissal is. What is more, and what has not been said, is that section 45D of the Trade Practices Act will be abolished—the secondary boycott rules. Nothing has prevented national strikes in this country more than the government’s toughening of the secondary boycott rules. Under Labor we will get a return to that. Under Labor we will also get the abolition of AWAs. Over one million people on AWAs will have them abolished. That is a certainty. We know that goes to the heart of the mining industry. The Western Australian boom will come to a grinding halt in no time flat.

You can bet a few other things. You can bet that the building and construction legislation—a product of the Cole royal commission report that was tabled in this parliament—will also be abolished. What is more, you will see independent contractors got at. That will also be on your hit list. You will have the return of the unfair dismissal laws, the abolition of AWAs, the attack on independent contractors, the abolition of section 45D of the Trade Practices Act, a return of the building industry union’s power, regardless of what the Cole royal commission has laid down— (Time expired)