Page 718 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 May 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr De Domenico: You said that you knew about it in advance, anyway; but you did nothing about it.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please, Mr De Domenico.
MR BERRY: I know what you are proposing. What you are attempting to do, of course, is to force unions into the legal system where the ordinary working person will not get a fair go and will not be able to afford representation. That is what the Liberals are trying to do. They are trying to break down the Industrial Relations Commission, which has as its aim the settlement of industrial disputation. What the Liberals are on about is trying to weaken the bargaining power of working people.
Mr De Domenico: Utter nonsense!
Mr Kaine: We want a level playing field; that is what we want.
Mr De Domenico: Socialist mumbo jumbo, mate.
MR BERRY: Do not deny it. That is what you are on about. You should have been listening to Johnny Howard on the radio this morning.
Mr De Domenico: I was, and he had a lot of good things to say, mate.
MR BERRY: Flexibility and freedom. The rhetoric comes out all the time. Flexibility and freedom. Freedom for the employers to exploit ordinary working people by weakening the trade union structure; that is what you are on about. When it comes to the - - -
Mr De Domenico: Dear me! Heavens above! You just do what you are told by the trade unions.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr De Domenico, I have reminded members repeatedly today to heed standing order 39. I would like you to heed it, please.
MR BERRY: It says, "Shut up while other people are speaking". I am happy to say that the parties have at least sorted out some of their problems and ultimately the matter will be decided by the members. I think again that when industrial disputes reach fever pitch it does no good for people in this place, particularly the Liberals, to try to beat the matter up into something which is of political interest to their constituency.
Mr Kaine: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. You reminded Mr De Domenico of standing order 39. You might remind the Minister of standing order 55.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Kaine.
MR BERRY: I am fairly close to concluding; but just one last barb, Madam Speaker. In future, if you have a difficulty with an industrial dispute and you want somebody to help you out with it, please come up and see me. My office door is open and I will try to help you out and explain to you how the industrial relations system works. You do not seem to know. If you did know, you would not be trying to interfere in the way that you have been doing in the last week or so.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .