Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. Gerry Hanssen, a member of the Western Australian Liberal Party, has been fined more than $60,000 by the Federal Court for illegally blocking union officials from a building site where a worker had died after falling some 13 floors. Mr Hanssen has also been fined for exploiting foreign workers. Will the Prime Minister now call for Mr Hanssen to be expelled from the party he leads?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously all Australians—employers, employees and unions—need to comply with the law. Later this week in the House of Representatives, and then at some point in the Senate, all senators will have an opportunity to ensure that everyone is required to comply with the law, and that is particularly important on building sites.

In relation to Mr Hanssen, obviously the same would apply to him as well. I'm aware of the report on the weekend. I'm also aware that Mr Hanssen has made clear that he has stopped donating to the Liberal and National parties because 'in principle they were not listening to me'—that's a quotation from him. But Labor is quite dishonestly seeking to conflate issues here, to compare the actions of Gerry Hanssen with the actions of John Setka in order to relieve pressure on themselves for their failure to remove him from the Labor Party.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a question that relates to a fine in relation to a circumstance where a worker tragically died. And it would I think be an appropriate thing if the minister treated the question with a level of seriousness, given the seriousness of the subject matter.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've reminded the minister of the nature of the question.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Appropriately, Mr Hanssen was subject to court proceedings, and the law of the land has applied to him. But the law of the land should be applied to all actors in this space, without fear or favour. That is entirely appropriate.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pratt, a supplementary question.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hanssen has donated as much $175,000 to the federal and Western Australian Liberal and National parties over the past five years or so. Did Minister Cormann, Minister Cash or any other member of the executive solicit these donations from the law-breaking Mr Hanssen?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Senator Pratt well knows, all political donations are declared, consistent with our laws, openly and transparently through the AEC. I'm not personally aware of ever having solicited or received any donations from Mr Hanssen. But let me make the overall point again: the government condemns all breaches of workplace laws, whether it's by unions, employers or employee groups. Of course, anyone who is guilty of breaching the law should be subject to relevant court action, which is what happened on this occasion. What we are suggesting—and what Labor is obviously fighting against with this line of questioning—is that the courts should have more tools available to deal with consistent breaches of the law by militant unions.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pratt, a final supplementary question.

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why does the Prime Minister refuse to demonstrate leadership by moving to expel Mr Hanssen from the WA Liberal Party, given that he has repeatedly broken the law?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While I'm aware of the report on the weekend, I'm not aware of the allegations that Senator Pratt has just made. In relation to reports on the weekend, I read that he was actually dealt with by the court process in the appropriate way, consistent with our laws, without fear or favour, and that he himself made very clear that he had stopped donating to the Liberal Party and National Party for some time—for many years, in fact—because, and I'm quoting him as reported, 'In principle, they were not listening to me.'