David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator O'Sullivan, I move:

That the Senate notes that:

(a) it is the right of every Australian worker to be employed in an environment that is free of the threat of coercion or violence regardless of the industry in which they work;

(b) corruption, blackmail or thuggery has no place in the modern Australian workplace; and

(c) all political parties commit to protecting the rights of workers by eliminating any organisations that promote or undertake such behaviour in an Australian workplace.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition will be supporting this motion. It is, however, important to put on record that that the motion should apply equally to all people in the labour market. It is equally as applicable to employers as it is to unions. The opposition is sceptical of the content of this motion, given that it has been the practice of the government to regurgitate articles published in the media as proven fact. That is completely irresponsible. The Abbott government clearly has an agenda against unions and the labour movement, and it is seeking to use legislation and executive power to pursue it. It has introduced fundamentally unfair pieces of legislation and established a political royal commission to look into the union movement but not the conduct of employers.

For the record, on the issues in this motion, it is Labor that proposed a joint police task force to immediately investigate allegations of corruption reported in the building and construction industry. We are actually serious about investigating crime that occurs in the workplaces. The government merely wants a show trial, namely the royal commission.

Question agreed to.