Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor's ability to wreck an economy is well known, but it is very concerning to see that, in the pantheon of Labor's economic failure, the Albanese administration seems hell-bent on assuming pride of place, because ridiculous anti-business legislation is happening on almost a daily basis, but giving unions the green light to attack national productivity must be amongst the worst.

Graziers in this country are facing a crisis of poor prices, with the threat of drought, bushfires and limitations on abattoir operations stifling their ability to move stock. Now we find that the industrial action by the Commonwealth Public Sector Union will impact abattoirs because it includes government employed vets and meat inspectors. There are always more strikes and industrial disruption under Labor, but it's happening right now, when abattoirs need to be running smoothly to process animals. It is patently unfair that the meat-processing industry has been caught up in this action when it isn't even part of the negotiations. For graziers, it will cause enormous headaches in terms of scheduling mustering staff and transport trucks, driving up costs exactly at the time when they can't afford it. And, while graziers can't get paid, the striking workers will be able to make up the wages lost because of strike action and overtime payments. What's worse is that, while the CPSU members voted in favour of the revised pay and conditions offered by the government, union leadership rejected it. And spare a thought for the thousands of non-CPSU members who will also have to stop work.

Most people can appreciate the work of unions acting in practical ways to help employees, but this sort of greedy power play is where they torpedo any goodwill that they might have generated. They are happy to risk Australia's reputation as a stable business environment just to line the pockets of union heavies seeking pats on the back from their mates, rather than working constructively with industry. Under Labor, unions are running amok and making challenging business conditions even harder. We have an agriculture minister actively undermining the industry he's supposed to support and an environment minister funding activists to shut down resources and agricultural projects. We have an energy minister leading Australia over a power price cliff and a Treasurer who has overseen 12 interest rate rises in just 18 months. And our prime minister, who so boldly declared that he would always turn up, is distracted by fringe issues and rubbing shoulders with elites. It's hard to find one single portfolio that is not negatively impacted by Labor's policies, and, sadly, it's everyday Australians who are paying the price.

The economic landscape under this administration is worse than any drought and more destructive than any bushfire, especially for business owners and farmers. These people can rebuild after a natural disaster but not when their own government is stifling their ability to thrive. One of the most critical aspects of making a living on the land is timing and planning. Some farm decisions are based on circumstance, and some are planned. Uncertainty is an ever-present companion, so the one thing that they would love to be certain of is the support of their own government. Those graziers trying to get animals to market this week are the unwitting victims of Labor's cosy relationship with militant unions who are emboldened by distinct anti-business sentiment emanating from Canberra.

The meat processors are just collateral damage in a fight that they didn't start and can't influence, so I echo the sentiments of Patrick Hutchinson, the CEO of the Australian Meat Industry Council, who told Farmonline this week that the strike action will damage Australia's reputation as a reliable exporter of meat and that of Australian businesses accessing international markets.

To every small business that will also be affected—the truck drivers and the mustering contractors—I say: I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you've ended up with a government that doesn't back you, doesn't believe in you and is watching the cost-of-living impacts go ever higher. This strike action will just be one more nail in the coffin for consumers' ability to make their household budgets stretch to make ends meet.