Page 3824 - Week 14 - Thursday, 10 December 1992
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MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I ask you to withdraw that expression, Mr Lamont; but I would ask my colleagues on my right to cease interjecting.
Mr Lamont: I withdraw. They are not fit to be rat packs, so it is probably - - -
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Unequivocally, please.
Mr Lamont: I unequivocally withdraw any suggestion that they are a rat pack.
MR BERRY: This morning on ABC radio honest John Howard - he is honest in opposition, too, like Gary Humphries - was talking about how, under the "jobsack" policy - - -
Mr De Domenico: Tell us what Peter Cook said, too, and Bob Carr.
MR BERRY: The other day I heard the greatest election campaign ditty we could ever use, from a person of high standing and importance in the ACT, someone I will not name at the moment. Referring to the Liberals, with Gary Humphries as leader, it was, "Keep the bastards honest. Keep them in opposition". Honest John Howard was talking about how, under this "jobsack" policy, no-one will lose their holidays, maternity leave, minimum wages or penalty rates without their agreement. Fifty-eight per cent of Australians have not been fooled. They know that if you do not agree with the contract being offered you will lose your job, and that was made very clear by the Liberals. They said that in contract negotiations if you get to a point where you cannot reach agreement you go your own way; that is, the worker gets sacked and the boss goes out and gets another employee. That is the nature of "jobsack". It can be summarised, Mr Deputy Speaker, as, "Take a cut or lose your job". That is the position which has been adopted with "jobsack".
It is only fair that workers protest against those draconian policies. It is important that they draw the attention of the rest of Australians to what might occur if the Liberals were to succeed - and they will not. Demonstrations like that will draw the attention of Australians to it and, of course, they will not support it. Decent wages for a decent day's work are a part of Australian history, as is the right of workers to defend themselves in a system which provides conciliation in the first place and arbitration where all else fails. It is a system which has the confidence of Australian men and women and a system which has served us well. As I have said, it is the envy of many people around the world because of its success. It is a system which reduces confrontation.
What is proposed by the Liberals is a system which promotes confrontation as the ideal. We have seen just a little bit of it in Victoria, and more will come. You cannot have a policy which will rip workers off in the way which is supported by Mrs Carnell, unless you have a system of conciliation and arbitration to sort out the difficulties of the inevitable conflicts which occur between employees and employers. I think, Mr Deputy Speaker, that the workers of Canberra should be congratulated for turning up in their lunchtime and putting on a demonstration which the rest of Australia would see as very solid support for an industrial relations system which I think stands on its merits. It will stand as a good image for Australian industrial relations and practice well into the future.
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