Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I would like to make some remarks on—

John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can move to take note of answers.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I move to take note of the answers.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I rise on a point of order. I am certainly not clear from that precisely what Senator Boswell is moving to take note of. He has been given fairly clear instructions from the chair and from his leader. If we are going to have a motion to take note of different answers, perhaps that could be made clear.

John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand your point of order. Could someone help Senator Boswell move the motion, please?

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, I understand Senator Boswell is moving a motion to take note of all answers given in question time today.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked today.

I rise on this issue because I think it brings forward two distinct areas in this amalgamation debate. One is that we have been told today by Senator Johnston that the AWU and the union movement generally will be responsible for, or be taken into consideration on, the reconstruction of the councils. So there is going to be a power grab by the union movement. Then we are informed, if you look closely at the Premier’s second reading speech, that there could be—and I am maintaining there will be—a position where the council workers will be put under a statutory authority and they will not work for the local councils but will work under a statutory authority to avoid the results of our job creation policies—

Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Work Choices is the term!

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whether it is Work Choices, unfair dismissals or whatever you want to say, they are going to be taken away as employees from the councils and put under a statutory authority. That will cause a lot of angst not only for the workers out there but also for the councils that remain. What we have done today is to restore democracy in Queensland. At four o’clock, the Friday morning before last, the Beattie government decided that they were not going to have any decisions going against their proposal. Therefore we have come forward today and restored democracy in Queensland. I think it is a great thing for Queensland.

What this shows is the fact that Mr Rudd has absolutely no power, no pull and no direction and that Mr Beattie is just ignoring him completely. That puts paid to any presentation that Mr Rudd would have cooperation with the states. If this is the first sign of cooperation with the states then it is an absolute, miserable failure and is totally unacceptable. Mr Rudd, Kevin07—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for the Arts and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Kevin007: licence to kill local government!

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Kevin007 has said, ‘Elect me and you will have absolute harmony between the states.’ And he has gone down at the first hurdle. Mr Beattie has ignored him. Mr Ludwig is coming out and challenging Mr Rudd, because Mr Ludwig can see a big fat increase in the membership of the AWU. Once again we are saying that the unions will be running Australia if the Rudd alternative government is elected. We are going to have wall-to-wall state Labor governments but, more than that, we are going to have the AWU, the Ludwigs, the McDonalds, and all the unions calling the shots. If there has ever been a clear example of that, we saw it in the Australian today, where Mr Ludwig has tried to pull Mr Rudd into line. We have a union boss dictating the terms to the alternative government of Australia. If that is not a warning to Australians then I do not know what is. You have a union boss who sees a big fat increase in the membership of the AWU telling Mr Rudd exactly what to do. I am appalled by it. I am appalled by the unions that are intervening in the opposition. The opposition is not in government and they cannot keep their hands—(Time expired)

Question agreed to.