Labor is butchering the Fair Work Act - Senate Speech 22.11.12

Unfortunately, I have to rise and speak on the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022. It's disappointing to have to do so, because all my life I've categorised the Labor Party as being the wreckers of the Australian workforce. I grew up listening to my father constantly telling me how the wharfies went on strike in World War II and wouldn't help our troops out and export our wool et cetera et cetera.

I don't really see this bill as being the final nail in the coffin for small industry and small business here in Australia—no, no, no. The Labor Party put the final nail in the coffin of small business a long time ago. I call this the grave digger's bill. Basically we're now chucking dirt on small business so that they'll be completely forgotten about and erased from history, six feet under, with this ridiculous idea that we can have multi-pattern bargaining.

That is Labor for you. They have to mandate everything. They just have to. There is no individual in the Labor Party's psyche. No, it's just communism: 'We're going to own all the property, we're going to have one set of rules.' We see that constantly. Everything the Labor Party does is all about centralisation, command and control...