Page 3907 - Week 10 - Thursday, 28 August 2008
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Mr Barr: Your senior and junior legal advisers? All of them?
MR MULCAHY: All of them, yes, the three of them. I said to my staff earlier today that a lot of people in small business would not even understand this is going through today. Certainly the peak bodies and the bigger businesses in the town are aware of it, but a lot of small business people are just busy trying to keep their heads above water, trying to find staff and keep their businesses afloat. They are suddenly going to be saddled with a whole new regime of legislation. If I could not pick somebody breaching these arrangements, I would give the game away, because there is enormous scope for vexatious and troublesome actions to be brought against people.
I am sorry; I do not accept that the union movement conducts itself with great honour and regard. Look at the carry-on over the Building Commission they want to get rid of. That has unearthed far too many concerns for the union movement. Members should consider the sort of thuggery that we have seen around Australia; the sort of thuggery targeted against employers who dare question the power of closed shops and those sorts of arrangements. We should not give them another weapon in the armoury. I have seen extraordinary abuse in the area of superannuation. I noticed the other day that they are starting to have a look into some of those activities, and I am pleased. It was a regret that the Howard government never got off its backside to look at what’s going on in superannuation. It is one of the most appalling areas of regulatory oversight in Australia.
Mr Barr: Let it all out, Richard!
MR MULCAHY: Well, it is a very serious issue. The use of people’s retirement funds and the way in which unions have been given power—
MR SPEAKER: Relevance, Mr Mulcahy—
MR MULCAHY: Yes, I am talking about the power of unions and the way in which unions are given power—
MR SPEAKER: This bill has nothing to do with superannuation.
MR MULCAHY: But it is related to the issue of giving unions power, and I use superannuation as an illustration of what will happen if you give unions unfettered power to pursue private prosecutions, as is contemplated under this legislation. I do not believe they will be conducted necessarily in the public interest, and I do not believe they will necessarily be pursued in the interests of working families—to use the classic term—working Canberrans, everyday Canberrans. I do not believe their interests are going to be well protected. We have the lowest ratio of union membership in Australia; it is down to about 18 or 17 per cent. People have voted with their feet in this town in terms of what they think about giving more power to unions.
I hold very strongly the view that it is reasonable to be concerned with providing a safe work environment to ensure that employees are not injured, but it is completely
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