Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Minister, I draw your attention to comments made by Senator Minchin last year that we do need to seek a mandate from the Australian people at the next election for another wave of industrial relations reform. There is still a long way to go. Given that the government’s Work Choices laws have been such a mess, so unpopular and, according to the polls, are set to cost the government the election, can you explain what the next wave of so-called reforms will be?

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

It is quite obvious, physically and philosophically, that Senator Fielding has been kicking too much with his left foot. But in relation to the issue in the question can I indicate to him that—

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

Wait for the laughter to subside first!

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

Order! Senator Evans!

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

It just shows what an ungracious Leader of the Opposition in the Senate we have. Even Senator Fielding can crack a smile, but not the arrogant Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. The arrogance of the Labor Party knows no bounds. The situation is that we as a government have indicated that, other than possible finetuning, there are going to be no changes. I dare say that what Senator Minchin may have had in mind when he gave that speech was the need for the fairness test that we introduced, which has secured even further the safety net available to the working men and women of this country—because, if there is one thing the Howard government has always been concerned about, it is increasing the potential for jobs. The great news, for Senator Fielding and others who are concerned about families, is that there are now 416,000 extra breadwinners in the Australian community, helping families make ends meet because of our policies.

But we do not believe in jobs at all costs. That is why we have secured a strengthened, greater safety net for those who are employed at a level of $75,000 or less. What we have shown once again is that the government has this capacity to balance the interests of those vital areas of job creation and job protection. That is what we have sought to do. The three statistics that I think the government can be relatively pleased about—and we always accept we can do better—are these. Real wages under this government have risen by 20 per cent. Under 13 years of Labor they rose by either nil or one-point-something per cent—but minimally, if at all. We also have the lowest rate of unemployment in 33 years. And, if we have created all this havoc within the industrial community by our changes, can somebody explain why we now have the lowest rate of industrial disputation since records were first kept in this country in 1913?

So I say to Senator Fielding: you can read the headlines, you can read the ACTU reports that come out of their sausage machine week after week, but at the end of the day there are 416,000 extra people in employment because of our policies, and they have achieved real wage increases, over the period since we were first elected, of 20.8 per cent. In anybody’s language that is very good news for the families of Australia.

Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, given Senator Minchin also conceded that most Australians violently oppose Work Choices and given that many will want to send a protest vote to the government over Work Choices, would you agree that Australians should give that protest vote to Family First, which voted against Work Choices and took a strong stand against the radical laws?

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

I can assure the honourable senator that that is one question I will not have to take on notice. The best thing Australian families can do if they are concerned for their families is to re-elect the Howard-Costello coalition team. That is the best thing they can do, because that is where the future of this great country lies—in continuing to develop the prosperity that we have now gained the benefits from. I fully accept what Senator Minchin and others have said: that Work Choices was not popular. Can I tell you this: the goods and services tax was not popular, and those opposite thought they could surf into government on the back of a negative campaign against it. What is their policy now? To fully embrace the GST. Remember when Mr Rudd became leader? He was going to rip up Work Choices lock, stock and barrel. Now all of a sudden he is trying to play a dance, because he accepts that Work Choices has many very good elements in it and he realises that he would be destroying over 400,000 jobs if he continued with his policy. (Time expired)