Page 899 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
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Labor will stand up and is standing up for all Canberra workers, in contrast to Mr Wall and his colleagues, who have celebrated the decision to cut the take-home pay of our lowest paid and most vulnerable workers. It is time that those opposite stood up to their federal Liberal colleagues, it is time they stood up for Canberra workers and it is time they stood with Labor to fight for Canberrans’ jobs and pay. I commend Mr Pettersson’s motion to the chamber.
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (3.47), in reply: It is with great pleasure that I stand to close this debate. We have heard from the one Liberal brave enough to come and front us in the chamber, and he has run the line about the independent umpire and respecting that decision.
It was not always that way from the Liberal Party, however. When the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, another independent umpire, made a decision to increase pay for truck drivers, the Liberals turned around and abolished the organisation. It seems when an independent body cuts workers’ pay, the decision has to be respected, but if a tribunal increases pay, it has to be abolished. This is the hypocrisy we have come to expect from the Canberra Liberals.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR PETTERSSON: And the interruptions we have come to expect from the Canberra Liberals. I find it astonishing that the Canberra Liberals are just happy to say that this is not their issue. I think their constituents would be upset to hear that this is not their issue. Standing up for workers’ pay is everyone’s issue. Standing up for people’s jobs is everyone’s issue.
What we have not seen today is Mr Wall. Mr Wall has been put in the witness protection program. They are too embarrassed to let their industrial relations spokesperson state their position in the Assembly. Isn’t that intriguing? I thought he was your spokesperson. I thought he was meant to make statements on the matter. If you are too embarrassed to state your position in this chamber, maybe that should tell you something about the position you hold. I hope next time we debate this topic you will have the courage to front up and tell us what you actually think, because we all know what you think; you are just too scared to say it.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Childhood vaccination
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (3.49): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes that:
(a) immunisation is the most significant public health intervention in the last 200 years, providing a safe and efficient way to prevent the spread of many diseases that cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health concerns and death;
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