Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Parliament House Doorstop
14 August 2024
TOPICS: CFMEU, ABCC, Gaza visas
E&OE
Senator Cash
We stand today ready to help Labor and Mr. Albanese clean up a mess of their own making, and when I say of their own making, history shows – Labor, when the Coalition were last in government, fought against us every single step of the way in terms of the actions that the former Coalition government wanted to take to clean up the mess that is the CFMEU. We restored the Australian Building and Construction Commission. And I remind everybody, the Australian Labor Party fought against us tooth and nail. They defended the actions of the CFMEU at that time, they fought against us every step of the way when we successfully stood up the Registered Organisations Commission. We also wanted to put in place our Ensuring Integrity Bill. That would have ensured that union officials who breach the law are able to be banned for life from holding office in a registered organisation. But more than that, it would have also ensured they were banned from working in a shadow capacity. We were unable to implement that law. Why? Because the Australian Labor Party said it was not necessary. Again, they defended the actions of the CFMEU. We wanted to put in place our protecting workers entitlement legislation to ensure that at all times, members of registered organisations used their funds, the funds that are given to them by the hard working members of those organisations, solely for the benefit of those members. Again, the Labor Party fought against us every step of the way, and we all now know what happened. Between the time Anthony Albanese became leader of the Australian Labor Party until today, approximately $6.2 million dollars flowed from the militant CFMEU to the Australian Labor Party’s coffers. And even as we stand here today, Mr. Albanese is unapologetic for receiving those funds. Why? Because we all know the Australian Labor Party is lock, stop and barrel owned by the CFMEU. That is actually borne out by the fact that one of the first acts of Mr. Albanese in coming into government, despite the Coalition clearly warning them, stakeholder after stakeholder after stakeholder in the construction sector. warning Mr. Albanese – if you grant John Setka his wish, if you repay him for what he has given to the Australian Labor Party, and you abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission, it will be an unmitigated disaster. And guess what, we now stand here today ready to assist the Australian Labor Party, as I said to clean up a mess of their own making. And I would say to anybody in the press judge Labor by their actions and not their words. The Labor Party are very, very good at saying things that sound nice, and then they table a piece of legislation that you could, at this point in time drive a truck through and quite frankly, looks like it was co-authored by the CFMEU. Minister Watt has ruled out an inquiry. So over the last 48 hours, I have spoken with stakeholder after stakeholder after stakeholder. Last night, I issued a statement. I have set out approximately 20 very reasonable amendments to this legislation based on stakeholder feedback that Mr. Watt and Mr. Albanese, if they accept them today, we could pass this legislation this afternoon. And what these amendments will do is a) put meat into the administration. As I said, you can currently drive a truck through the bill that has been tabled in Parliament. We want to clean up the CFMEU. We are the party that stood up the Australian Building and Construction Commission. Mr. Albanese is the Prime Minister that abolished it. If they are prepared to work with the Coalition, we will make their bill, with a series of reasonable amendments, a much better bill, and the bill can pass the Senate today, but it doesn’t stop here. Again, judge the Australian Labor Party not by their words, but by their actions. We will also be introducing two bills. One to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission. Stakeholders across the board state – administration is merely a first step. You also need to restore the tough cop on the beat in the building watchdog, which was, despite anything Mr. Albanese says, it was successful in what it was doing. But at the same time, you need to clean the system up. You need to ensure that union officials that are banned or expelled are never able to hold office in a registered organization again. So again, we will be reintroducing, as we did when we were last in government, the Coalition’s Ensuring Integrity Bill. And I challenge Mr. Albanese, for once, for once, can you stand up for the Australian people and actually show them you are prepared to put them and the national interest first? There are three challenges. The first is to accept the very reasonable amendments that the Coalition has put forward in relation to the administration bill. If they are accepted, the bill can pass this afternoon. But then next week, would you please support the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, the tough cop on the beat, and the implementation of the Coalition’s Ensuring Integrity Bill that will clean up the sector. Again, judge Mr. Albanese by his actions and not his words. I tell you this government, they are good at weasel words and nothing more. Quite frankly, the rubber now hits the road.
Journalist
When you move an amendment, which is the most crucial of those?
Senator Cash
I have to say they are very, very reasonable amendments. I have been talking to stakeholders. I mean I talk to stakeholders all the time. The first is – We are talking about organized crime, we are talking outlaw motorcycle gangs. We are talking bullying, thuggery and intimidation that is entrenched. On that basis, and stakeholders are in agreement the administration should be for no less than three years. Let’s clean the joint up. But more than that, at this point in time, Minister Watt has given himself as the Minister, the unfettered power to bring the administration to an end at any time, and he merely has to table the instrument. It is non-disallowable. In other words, what Minister Watt says goes. You’ve got to be kidding me. Minister Watt, when in opposition, was one of the CFMEU’s, greatest cheerleaders. He led the charge against everything the Coalition sought to do to clean up the industry. He led the charge for Mr. Albanese smiling like a Cheshire Cat when they abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission. So for Minister Watt to now give himself the power and himself alone, no recourse for the parliament to bring the administration to an end is unacceptable. But also transparency, I would have thought the media would be insisting on transparency. The administrator, if we’re going to do this properly, let’s shine some sunlight on it. Let’s ensure the administrator has to openly and transparently report to the Parliament every three months as to the status of the administration. But also, what a joke. The bill only provides the administrator with the ability to bar officials for up to five years. They will just wait this government out. You need to be able to clearly expel people for life. But on top of that, something Labor has fought against every single time we have tried to do this, you need to introduce a proper fit and proper person test for anybody who then seeks after the period of barring to come back into the union.
Journalist
Will you block or delay, will you block or delay the bill if Labor doesn’t accept your 20 amendments. Are you seriously prepared to vote with the Greens and let the CFMEU off the hook?
Senator Cash: I’m actually meeting with Minister Watt at 10am today. I will do so in good faith. I will do so on the basis that Mr. Watt has stood up and consistently said he wants to clean up the CFMEU. A truck can currently be driven through this legislation. As I said, these are reasonable amendments that will ensure that the administration a) has teeth, but b) ensures that the administrator has half a chance of actually making this work. So I invite Minister Watt to consider what are very reasonable amendments, and come back to me. But as we said, as Peter Dutton has made clear, we are prepared to pass the bill this afternoon if the government is prepared to take on board what are very reasonable amendments.
Journalist
You will put a blanket ban on all visa applications coming from Gaza. Is that really fair on people that are fleeing?
Senator Cash
These are very unusual circumstances. You are talking about Hamas, a listed terrorist organization that has committed atrocities that quite frankly have shocked the world. You have in Peter Dutton, an opposition leader who is prepared to stand on principle and who is prepared to stand up for Australia or Australians and to back in our values. So yes, I do agree with a ban on those coming in from Gaza.
Journalist
Senator Hume said and I’m quoting her here – we want to make sure we’ve looked after those that are coming from war torn nations. Is she wrong?
Senator Cash
No, absolutely not. Of course, you always want to look after those coming from war torn nations. However, you also need to take into account the circumstances of the war torn nation. We are talking about, and we’re not going to make excuses here – Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation. I defy anyone here to say, if they’re invited into this building, what they will do to you all. Seriously, we will stand up for what is right. We will stand up on principle, and in this case, the circumstances dictate a prudent approach.
Journalist
How do you reconcile that with countries like Afghanistan and the Taliban while still offering humanitarian visas. That was a similar situation?
Senator Cash
At that point in time, we were ensuring at all times that the appropriate visa checks were undertaken. What Labor is doing is literally uplifting and guaranteeing and we are not satisfied that the security checks are being put in place. More than that, you have people who are openly applauding Hamas for what has been undertaken and I’m sorry, I will not stand for that?
Journalist
There’s certainly a hundred refugees already in Australia with temporary visa’s, the government is looking at permanent residency. What should happen to those refugees?
Senator Cash
Well, again, the appropriate security checks should be undertaken. Again, you are talking about people who have come here from a war torn situation, but one with very unique circumstances that involve a listed terrorist organization that have committed absolute atrocities. So I would hope, I would ask the government to ensure at all times it is not playing politics here. It is not playing a numbers game. It is ensuring that security checks are undertaken.
Journalist
Senator Cash, do you support production credits for critical minerals in WA?
Senator Cash
Peter Dutton has made it very clear, we support a strong and vibrant mining sector in Western Australia. And I have to say, the last few days in terms of what is played out on the front page of The West Australian and what its shown in the Pilbara shows a stark difference between Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese. The mining companies, the resources company. Every time we sit down with them, what do they tell us? Can you please get the fundamentals right? Can you please get the red and green tape reduction right? Because if you don’t get the basic fundamentals right, people are already not investing in this country. Very difficult to explain to someone what that actually means. A company made a decision not to invest here in three years time, in five years time, but I tell you a three or five years time, those jobs are not going to be here. So Peter Dutton has made it clear, a strong Western Australian mining sector equals a strong Australia. We will have a package for Western Australia that will be announced prior to the election, and we will ensure that we do exactly a) what is consistent with our principles, but b) what the stakeholders have actually been asking for, which is to get the fundamentals right so that you can get the investment and ultimately get in production. You don’t get production if you don’t get investment.
Journalist
They’ve also asked for production credits specifically?Senator Cash: In all the conversations we have had with them they have made it very, very clear, they want us to get the fundamentals right. And they have also made it clear you don’t get the fundamentals right, you don’t get the investment, you don’t get the production. And they know that under a Peter Dutton government, you will have a strong mining sector in Western Australia, because a strong mining sector in Western Australia equals a strong Australian economy.
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