Page 2432 - Week 06 - Thursday, 10 May 2012
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street, comes into the Labor Party and says, “I am prepared to pay your $300 premium membership,” they say: “That is not right; you can’t do that. You’re an individual; you can’t exercise individual rights.” It shows exactly the nature and mentality of the Labor Party—the corporatist mentality. The corporation, the union, can pay as much money as it likes and it does not matter; it does not come under the cap. If a union wants to pay to be affiliated with the Labor Party, it does not matter how much it is; it is never too much. But if an individual wants to exercise those same rights, the Labor Party, with the support of the Greens, are prepared to say that $250 is the most you can pay and anything over that is a gift which is reportable.
Then we come to Ms Hunter. We have been talking about this for two years. For two years we have been talking about this. For weeks now I have been suggesting politely, communicating with Ms Hunter—“When can we talk about these things?” Now she uses the excuse that they have not had time to think about it. Ms Hunter has not been able to sit down in a room and negotiate about any of this. She comes to this and says: “This has taken us by surprise. We can’t possibly contemplate this. And if we did want to contemplate it, we would like to make it more.” She had the opportunity to make it more just five minutes ago, and she could not do it.
I am coming to the conclusion that some of the members in this place have not come to this debate in good faith. Someone stands up in this place and says, “I could not possibly think about this because I have not had enough notice.” As the representative of the Canberra Liberals, I have been trying to get in the same room as Ms Hunter or have her respond to my communication for weeks, and I have been met with silence. These amendments have been around for weeks, and I have been met by silence. Now she says, “I have not had a chance to contemplate this.” It defies belief.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (8.37): Briefly in response, the key issue here is about recognising the role of affiliated entities. Affiliated entities are an important part of our political system.
Mrs Dunne interjecting—
MR CORBELL: It is not my problem that trade unions do not want to be affiliated with the Liberal Party. That is not my problem; that is the Liberal Party’s problem. The fact is that industrial organisations have been a key component of Australian democracy since federation and before. They are entitled to engage and participate in the political process and they are entitled to be affiliated to political parties. This provision is designed to make that more difficult. That is not appropriate in a democracy where we seek to see voices of organised labour engaged in political debate and engaged with political organisations. That is an entirely legitimate and democratic element of Australian democracy and it should not be treated in the way that Mrs Dunne proposes with her amendment.
Mrs Dunne’s amendment to Mr Corbell’s amendments negatived.
Mr Corbell’s amendments agreed to.
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