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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (21 February) . . Page.. 95 ..

Ms Follett: That was very big of him. What requirement?

MR BERRY: That was very big of him. There is no requirement for annual renewal; there never was. Everybody out there has made one. The unions are paying, probably more than other people who are having payroll deductions made. The unions are paying 21/2 per cent for the pleasure, thank you very much. Of course, Mrs Carnell says, "We have waived the requirement for an annual renewal;" - how arrogant! - "instead it will be sufficient for the initial election to be indicated by 23 February this year".

Let me put this to you, Mrs Carnell: I happen to have made an election in relation to my union fees - I am a member of the LHMWU - and I do not want to change it. I will not be putting in a letter. You will hear more about it if you try to stop my payroll deductions. If you think you are going to get away with this lightly, you have another think coming. Many of the people in the gallery here made the choice a long time ago that they wanted their payroll deductions taken from their wages. They do not want you to interfere with it.

The arrogance of this Government is unbelievable. Of course, the workers will not sit idly by while you do this sort of thing. The gathering that you have created out there today is a result of all of the confrontation which has flowed from your actions in this industrial dispute. I go through them again: Forced redundancies - read "sackings" - lockouts clearly threatened by Mr De Domenico - - -

Mr Humphries: Rubbish!

MR BERRY: Mr Humphries says, "Rubbish". Mr Humphries, you want to read your cc:mail. It came through to your office, the same as it came through to mine and the same as it came through to the workplaces of all of these workers who are sitting in the gallery today.

Mr De Domenico: Who has been locked out?

MR BERRY: Withdraw the threat. Stand up and say, "I will not lock workers out. I promise that I will never lock workers out".

Mr De Domenico: Why did you put up the 170? Take that out; put the umpire back in. You frightened the umpire.

MR BERRY: No, we have just - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR BERRY: You will not say that, because the threat is still alive. There was the great rates hoax.

Mr De Domenico: It is not a threat; it is in the Act. Change the Act; get your Federal boys to change the Act.

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