Page 1491 - Week 05 - Thursday, 12 May 1994
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I am sorry; it is obvious that you have missed the lesson. I will start again. There is a difference between a preference clause in an award and a compulsory membership clause in an award. Do you understand the difference?
Mr De Domenico: Yes, I do.
MR LAMONT: It is obvious you do not; otherwise you would not have asked the very silly question, "What about the firefighters?". You would have understood that.
Mr Connolly: You can take a Liberal to facts but you cannot make him think.
MR LAMONT: That is right. My colleague, the world's best Consumer Affairs Minister, has just said - - -
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Relevance, Mr Lamont.
MR LAMONT: Yes, that is the same question I have been asking about some of the comments in the opening address on the MPI by Mr De Domenico. The world's best Consumer Affairs Minister just said, "You can take Liberals to facts but you cannot make them understand them". I agree that that is the case in this regard. Mr De Domenico, put very simply, you are confusing the difference between what is a compulsory union membership provision in awards and agreements and what is a preference clause. That, quite simply, is where you have your head in the wrong cloud, if I could use that analogy.
Let us talk about one dispute that you raised, a dispute between the Australian Workers Union and the CFMEU in relation to union coverage. The question was how that should be resolved. Mr De Domenico, I presume that you support the AIRC, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
Mr De Domenico: Yes. Does the CFMEU support the AIRC?
MR LAMONT: Ask the CFMEU.
Mr De Domenico: I am asking you. You are the Minister for Industrial Relations.
MR LAMONT: I speak on behalf of the industrial relations policy of this Government. If you want someone to speak on behalf of the CFMEU, pick up the phone and call Mr Wason. I am sure that he will talk to you.
Mr Berry: I do not know about that. I do not know that you would get a call back.
Mr Connolly: He probably would not.
MR LAMONT: Well, no. Mr Berry interjects that he probably would not. You are probably right.
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