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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 18 ..

MR DE (continuing):

from those members opposite as to who was the president of the Trades and Labour Council, a lady called Kate Lundy, who happens to be the No. 1 Senate candidate in the ACT. What a coincidence! Negotiations are going along fine; unions agree to talk; a Federal election is called, and all of a sudden there are blockades, for heaven's sake!

We have heard people mention the phrase "in good faith". Where is the good faith when we see some trade unionists driving buses to which they are denying the community access? They deny the community access to buses but drive one into town and park it here in London Circuit when you and I and others want to get to work. They blockade London Circuit and then go to the community and say, "We are acting in good faith". Of course, that is nonsense. That is holding a gun at someone's head and saying, "Unless you do what we want we will shoot you through the temple". This Government will not buckle to that sort of industrial relations. It is industrial relations of the eighteenth century, not of the twentieth century. Industrial relations of the twentieth century is to say, "Let us have a look at what is a reasonable offer and, if it is a reasonable offer, let us sit down and talk about it".

Mr Berry talks about the way he would do industrial relations. It was Mr Berry, for example, who locked the then Fire Commissioner, Bill Kerr, out of his office for weeks and weeks - for months it was - because Mr Berry did not agree with his appointment. I recall that, when I was representing the insurance industry and there were bushfires coming across the mountaintop from Queanbeyan into the ACT, I rang Mr Kerr and said, "Would you like any assistance from the insurance emergency service?". He said, "How the hell would I know? I do not know the current situation with the fires". I said, "How come? You are the Fire Commissioner". He said, "I cannot get into my office because Mr Berry has locked me out". That was the Mr Berry who now stands in this place and tells us how to do industrial relations. What a hypocritical thing for Mr Berry to do!

Ms Follett used some wonderful cliches. She said that this was an election stunt, as if to say that whatever the union movement is doing - - -

Ms Follett: I said that it was not an election stunt.

MR DE DOMENICO: She said that it is not an election stunt, notwithstanding that all of these sorts of bans seem to have occurred around about the time that the Federal election was announced. Coincidence, I say to the Greens and to the Independents. What a coincidence that was! Coincidentally also, their No. 1 Senate candidate happens to be, whilst this is going on, still the president of the Trades and Labour Council. We are led to believe that she had no control over or no effect on what was going on on behalf of the TLC. What utter nonsense! Of course it is an election stunt.

Ms Follett also spoke about the best interests of our community. This Government has the best interests of this community at heart because, ultimately, any pay rise at all that is not budget funded, that does not come back with a productivity return, will be funded by whom? It will be funded by the community, by the very people in Tuggeranong that Mr Osborne, Mr Kaine and I represent; by the very people in Belconnen; by the ones who are on the average wage of $35,000 a year, the ones who are least able to afford to pay the extra $225 a week. I ask the members opposite: Where is the social justice in that?

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