Page 3765 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 24 August 2010
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Greens party of the ACT has received considerable funding from unions. It was clear during last week’s federal election that Green candidates had received considerable funding and support from unions. This is another attempt by the Greens in the ACT to shore up their support in the union movement.
It is quite clear that the actions of the Greens today show that they are closely and permanently aligned with the Labor Party and the union movement and work against the interests of employers and the average employee who does not want to associate with unions.
This mechanism today is contrary to the provisions of the Human Rights Act in relation to freedom of association. It forces people—forces people—to take themselves off to a union organisation to get a tick before they can start work in the security industry. This is clearly the thin end of the wedge and other industries in the ACT need to be very afraid of what will happen now that we have this clear alliance between the Labor Party and the Greens, which is effectively no ticket, no start.
If one of my constituents does not go to the LHMU and be certified, they cannot start work here in the ACT. That is a shameful state. Where will it go? Will it go into the childcare industry? That is where the LHMU will go next. Will it go into retail? That is where other unions will go after this. This is a shameful arrangement that does nothing but give the names and addresses of people who want to work in the security industry to the security industry unions so that they can pester them for union membership.
This is the real problem. This is why it is opposed by the employer organisations and it should be opposed by any right-minded Canberran who really believes in freedom of association.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (10.45): I would like to lend my support to Mrs Dunne regarding the concerns that she has raised in relation to what effectively amounts to a form of compulsory unionism. As Mrs Dunne has set out very clearly, we are returning through this legislation to the concept of no ticket, no start. If this legislation passes, you will not be able to work in the security industry unless you get the tick-off from a union. That is a regressive step in industrial relations in the ACT.
Mrs Dunne referred to the concept enshrined in the Human Rights Act—that is, the idea of freedom of association. Freedom of association means the right to join an organisation, the right to join a union, the right to join any other association or the right not to. As set out in the scrutiny of bills committee report, this legislation actually raises serious concerns about that right. The scrutiny of bills committee raised the question of whether a requirement for a licence applicant to obtain information from a union enlivens the right to privacy under the HRA and whether the requirement amounts to arbitrary interference by the government.
This is what the Assembly is being asked to vote on today. We are being asked to vote on a piece of legislation that says: “If you want to work in the security industry, you have to get the tick from a particular union. You have to go to a union and get your ticket so that you can actually work in that industry.” I thought we had left that behind
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