Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Abetz. Will the minister update the Senate on the latest employment figures, and is the minister aware of any threats to continuing strong jobs growth into the future?

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

I thank Senator Barnett for his perceptive question. Last Thursday the Australian Bureau of Statistics released the August labour force figures. These figures, which the Labor Party do not want to know about, revealed that, despite a new record high participation rate of 65.1 per cent as a result of Welfare to Work—something opposed by Labor—coming on-stream, the unemployment level in Australia remains at just 4.3 per cent. The reason is that during August another 31,800 jobs were created—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy interjecting—

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

Hold on to that figure of 31,800, Senator Conroy—and 29,100 of them are full time. That means that since the introduction of the workplace relations changes some 18 months ago a massive 417,900 jobs have been created, 84.3 per cent of those being full time, and yet Labor dishonestly claimed that these workplace relations reforms would cause massive job losses. Unfortunately, Senator Barnett is right: there is a threat to continuing massive job creation, and that threat is the Australian Labor Party and its union masters—union masters who will force the Labor Party to reimpose policies such as right of entry by union thugs and the reinstatement of unfair dismissal laws, which would literally destroy jobs in this country.

Mr Rudd has made a great deal of pretending that he will stand up to the unions. He tells us he has drawn a line in the sand and that any unionist crossing that line will be kicked out of the Labor Party. The trouble is that that line keeps shifting. Take the case of Mr Harkins, the former preferred Labor candidate for Franklin and party powerbroker. Firstly, the Cole royal commission found that Mr Harkins engaged in unlawful activity. Enough for expulsion? No, the sand shifts. Secondly, Mr Harkins was charged with engaging in an illegal fray. The sand shifts again. Thirdly, Dean Mighell reveals that Mr Harkins approved a $50,000 donation to the Greens—enough to see the end of his own brother, Mr Greg Rudd, but not Mr Harkins. Fourthly, Kevin Harkins actually pleads guilty to engaging in illegal activity and then brags about it. Still not enough—the sand keeps shifting. And now today we hear that the Federal Police are investigating Mr Harkins in relation to possible inducements under the Electoral Act—a most serious allegation. When will Mr Rudd rediscover the line in the sand and expel Mr Harkins from the Labor Party? And, given admissions that their own leader’s office was involved in these discussions about Mr Harkins—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order!

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

The cacophony from those opposite clearly shows that they have no regard for unionists being required to abide by the laws of this country, and that is why they condone this behaviour. That is the sort of mayhem Australia will be thrown into if a Rudd Labor government were to be elected. Mr Rudd has now acknowledged he was involved in trying to get rid of Mr Harkins, and it is time for him to explain what he was doing in the role and not make some lame excuse such as we have heard about Long Tan, Brian Burke and certain other matters. It is time for the Labor Party to show exactly where it stands on these issues. The line in the sand has been drawn in quicksand, as the Independent member for Franklin would be happy to tell you. (Time expired)