Page 3338 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 24 November 1992
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Auditor-General, there were several illegal payments in relation to ACTION buses. That had been going on for some years. When this was brought to the Government's attention, the matters were taken to the Industrial Relations Commission and, behind closed doors, hundred of thousands of dollars of illegal payments were backdated.
Mr Connolly: Mr Kaine's committee said that that was the appropriate course.
MR DE DOMENICO: I will disregard the nonsensical outbursts by Mr Connolly, the trade union movement's best friend! No, it does not hurt. He is the trade union movement's best friend! Gee, they love him - especially the Transport Workers Union! Boy, do they love him! Where is Mr Berry when we talk about Mr Connolly? Gone again, just like the other night at the ALP meeting. That is the support that Mr Connolly and his faceless men have, Mr Deputy Speaker. So, let him interject long and often, please, and I will repeat that time and time again.
ACTION employees take sickies and organise golf days. Mr Connolly was aware of that too. These people still work for ACTION and, if ACTION threatens to withdraw sick day payments, the union threatens to go on strike under another pretext. ACT workers are coerced to go on strike by some people in town who want to talk about the New Zealand shearers. I know that every time New Zealand comes up Mr Lamont is inclined to interject. Just in case he interjects, let me quote the most recent figures from the Department of Statistics in New Zealand and also from Australian Economic Indicators and the OECD 1992 Economic Outlook. I quote:
This, in association with a far stronger growth in the productivity of the business sector than for Australia, underpins New Zealand's relative economic future in a manner we have yet to see on this side of the Tasman. Since 1988, working days lost from strikes have fallen by over 72 per cent in New Zealand - in Australia there has virtually been no change.
Surely, Mr Deputy Speaker, there are other less destructive ways to demonstrate union solidarity. Then there was the garbage dispute. The workers voted to go back to work, but the strike went ahead - all over a few cross words between an employee and a supervisor. Then there was the crane drivers dispute, when the union movement held the building industry to ransom.
Mr Connolly: And the commission endorsed the union's action. They said that they were right.
MR DE DOMENICO: There he goes again - the union movement's best friend, the one they bucket every time he tries to do something positive. Come in again, Mr Connolly. Come in, spinner. Interject any time you like. Then we have today's bus stoppage.
Mr Connolly: Can I take that as an open invitation, Mr Deputy Speaker?
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Interjections are out of order, I remind members. That is not an invitation, Mr Connolly.
MR DE DOMENICO: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for your ruling.
Mr Kaine: He was complaining about the interjections a little while ago.
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