Gavin Marshall (Victoria, 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. Isn’t it the case that there is a backlog of more than 100,000 workplace agreements waiting to be approved by the government’s Workplace Authority? Given that the Workplace Authority cannot tell Australian employers or employees whether agreements are fair or unfair, doesn’t this mean that 100,000 workers could be on agreements that are unfair? Given the Workplace Authority is likely to take more than 10 months to clear the current backlog before they even start on the additional 30,000 workplace agreements being lodged each month, how many Australians are set to lose out because the Howard government cannot administer its own workplace laws?

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

The first thing people listening to this broadcast should concern themselves about is this: do not believe the Australian Labor Party when they bandy figures about. I remember when we first introduced these changes. I was making—and I admit this—a brave prediction that there would be 75,000 new jobs potentially created by these reforms. I was pilloried by the other side and I am glad I will be able to report later on in question time that the figure is now in excess of 400,000. So, when the Labor Party deal with figures, let us make sure that they are factual.

The situation is that there has been an overwhelming response to the Australian government’s Australian workplace agreements, and indeed workers and employers are signing up at record levels—a mechanism that has driven jobs growth in this country and a mechanism that Kevin Rudd would destroy as soon as he possibly could, throwing all those people into great uncertainty. In relation to the processing of the fairness test, can I say this: we as a government have always believed in making sure that workers in the Australian workplace are treated fairly and equitably.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

It is good news that the fairness test is working. Can I assure the honourable senator that there is no backlog and all of them are being processed. The news is good.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Introducing more backpackers!

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

The silly Leader of the Opposition interjects, saying, ‘Introducing more backpackers!’ I think the state governments of this country have been getting—

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sterle interjecting—

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Sterle, you will withdraw that.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I withdraw that.

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

I will not get distracted by innocuous interjections from the Leader of the Opposition, Mr President. As a government, we are ensuring that these workplace agreements are fair and reasonable for the workers of this country. That is exactly what we are doing. The good news is that since 7 May, to 31 August this year, 123,100 Australian workplace agreements have been lodged. That is 123,100 jobs, the mechanism for which the Labor Party are committed to destroying. They would destroy all of them, and how unfair could that be! It would be unfair to all 123,100. Currently, 110,351 are being processed. For the fairness test, where further information is being required, the figure is 44,751. Where the fairness test does not apply, the figure is 5,408. Those that have passed total 6,237, and so the list goes on.

Now the good news is that the workers of this country are being protected by the fairness test that we as a government have implemented. Surely that should be welcomed by somebody such as Senator Marshall, an ex-trade union official who allegedly devoted his working life to that. We now suspect that he, like all the others on that side, devoted his working life not to the workers of this country but to Labor Party endorsement to sit in this place, whereas we are committed to looking after the workers of this country—and the figures speak for themselves. The most important thing that we have done for the workers of this country is provide them with jobs. (Time expired)

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask it of the minister through you, Mr President. How does the government justify letting thousands of working Australians go without wages and conditions to which they are entitled while they wait for the Workplace Authority to get its act together? How does the government’s claim that these working families will be entitled to back pay in several months time help them struggle with today’s huge mortgages and rents, and spiralling childcare, petrol and grocery costs? Don’t these embarrassing statistics simply confirm that the fairness test was just an extravagant excuse for a $37 million advertising campaign?

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

The most embarrassing figure for the Australian Labor Party is that over 400,000 Australians have now got jobs and are no longer reliant on social welfare. I say to the honourable senator, as he well knows, that trying to pay off personal loans or trying to pay off a house mortgage on social security is a lot more difficult than it is when you have a job, especially when that job is guaranteed with a safety net which includes the very comprehensive fairness test that we have introduced.