Rearrangement

Penny Wong

I seek leave to move a motion concerning the consideration of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Administration) Bill 2024.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to allow a motion relating to the consideration of the bill to be moved and determined immediately.

Can I indicate to the opposition that, if they are so keen on their last question, then, when the bill is finished, we will come back for question time and give Senator Birmingham his last question. We're very happy to do that.

In question time today Senator Cash said that the CFMEU was infiltrated by organised crime. Well, what I would say to Senator Cash is it's time to stop being John Setka's friend.

Sue Lines

Order, Senator McGrath and Senator Cash!

Penny Wong

It's time to stop being John Setka's friend. The only people who don't want to pass this bill—

Sue Lines

Senator McKenzie, Order!

Senator McGrath, Senator Henderson, Order! Minister Wong, please continue.

Penny Wong

There are only two sorts of people who want this legislation delayed. They are the lawyers and certain officials in the CFMEU and members of the Liberal and National parties in the Senate, led by Senator Michaelia Cash. They are the only two people who want this legislation delayed. So, Senator Cash, what I would say to you—I know you always love to have a fight. I know you always love to have a political fight, but this is a time when we have organised crime—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Minister Wong, resume your seat. Order! Senator Henderson—

I'm sorry, Senator Henderson. Senator Birmingham, you might want to turn around. There is a senator on your own side on her feet.

Sarah Henderson

Thank you, President. On a point of order, I would ask that you would ask Senator Wong to direct her comments through the chair.

Sue Lines

I would ask, Senator Henderson, that, when I call your name or the name of Senator McKenzie or the name of Senator McGrath or the name of Senator Cash, that you listen in respectful silence. Minister Wong.

Penny Wong

Thank you, President. I'm happy to address through you. Senator Cash, President, consistently comes in here and talks about CFMEU corruption, but she is the person standing in the way of this bill passing today. If she tells the coalition to vote against this legislation, then the game she is playing will be clear to everybody in this country and in this parliament. It will be clear that she is only interested in positioning politically on this, not actually interested in cleaning up this union, which is what this government is trying to do. So I say to Senator Cash: listen to the Master Builders, when they say—listen to this; this is the Master Builders of Australia—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Should I wait for you to finish shouting so you can listen to the quote?

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Order!

Nick McKim

Tell us what Woodside think!

Sue Lines

Seriously! Senator McKim, order! It is absolutely disrespectful that I've had to call order about 10 times. I'm the President of the Senate and I demand that you respect the call when I ask for silence and not try and outbid each other in shouting across the chamber. It's disgraceful. Minister Wong, please continue.

Penny Wong

I ask the coalition to listen to this statement of the Master Builders of Australia. On 15 August 2024, first paragraph, 'Parliament must pass the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Administration) Bill 2024 this afternoon.'

Opposition senators interjecting—

I'm going to say it again, because they're shouting at me because they don't want to listen. 'Parliament must pass the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Administration) Bill 2024'—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Senator Cash! Senator McGrath! Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Senator Cash, I just asked for you in particular to be silent. I also asked for you in particular to be silent, Senator McGrath. Both of you are treating what I'm asking the Senate to do with absolute disrespect. Minister Wong, please continue.

Penny Wong

I'll start again. The Master Builders of Australia said, 'Parliament must pass'—

Opposition senators interjecting—

You really don't want to hear it, do you? You don't want to hear it. You're trying to pretend—I'll say it again, because they don't want to hear it: 'Parliament must pass the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Administration) Bill 2024 this afternoon.' Just so all of the backbench understand, what the shadow minister is asking you to do is oppose what the Master Builders want.

Sue Lines

Senator Cash!

Penny Wong

The Australia Constructors Association said:

The industry cannot afford continued uncertainty, so we call on all parties to finalise and pass the Bill without further delay.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Senator McGrath! Senator Hume! Senator Henderson!

Penny Wong

You can tell we've hit a nerve, President, when they can't stop shouting while I'm on my feet, because they know what I'm saying is true. They are playing politics with this issue, and we should all be passing this bill to clean up the CFMEU. This government is bringing it forward; the industry is asking for it. This is about making sure that we weed out the corruption and the organised crime, according to Senator Cash's own words, inside the CFMEU, and you have an opportunity to do it today. And, if you do not, your political hypocrisy will be on display.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Order!

Penny Wong

You should listen to the Master Builders, you should listen to the Australian Constructors Association and you should pass this bill without delay.

You have not drawn breath during this contribution, because you know you are wrong! What Senator Cash is asking the coalition to do is the wrong thing to do. This bill should be passed today without further delay. We know what is happening in the CFMEU. It's time to ditch the politics and do what the employers are asking for.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Senator Birmingham, I will give you the call in a moment. It has been a long time since there has been such a disgraceful display of blatant disregard for my many calls for order. I called for order; I called senators by name, and you completely ignored me. That was disgraceful—absolutely disgraceful. You are representing the Australian parliament and you are representing the Senate. I expect you to listen in respectful silence.

Simon Birmingham

The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Administration) Bill 2024 can pass today if the Labor Party cleans up its pathetic and weak effort—

Sue Lines

Senator Birmingham, please resume your seat. Senator Cash, the minute your leader got to his feet you started interjecting—

You've started interjecting again! I've asked for silence. Senator Birmingham, I appreciate you are capable of looking after yourself, but I am not standing for such disrespect to be shown to me by senators in this chamber.

Simon Birmingham

President, if you want to talk about disrespect—it's that lot opposite and the disrespect they have for proper process. It's the disrespect they have for actually cleaning up the CFMEU properly.

This bill can pass today if you agree to clean up your pathetic, inadequate and weak effort in terms of addressing the CFMEU. It can pass today if you accept the very reasonable conditions that Senator Cash and the coalition have put to you. It can pass today if you agree to stop receiving money from the CFMEU while it's in administration. I can think of 6.2 million reasons why they don't want this bill to pass, why they don't want amendments to go through and why they don't want a proper administration in place with proper conditions such as ensuring the CFMEU cannot and does not give money, political donations, to the Labor Party or the Australian Greens, who are deeply suspicious in this whole exercise and who seem to be the ultimate cover-up merchants for Mr Setka.

There are 6.2 million reasons why the Labor Party quite clearly want to pass a bill that still facilitates the money to flow. So accept Senator Cash's amendment to stop donations and this bill could pass. Accept Senator Cash's amendment to ensure that you can't just unwind the administration straight after the next election and this bill could pass. Accept Senator Cash's amendment to ensure there's some transparency around the administration, that actually the administrator appears before this Senate's committees to answer questions, and this bill could pass. But, no, you don't stand for transparency. You stand for taking the money, you stand for ensuring the CFMEU remains in a position to be able to influence politics through its donations, through its grubby money, and you stand for not having a proper clean-up of this corrupt industry.

The real question has to be asked: just how many CFMEU officials or members were actually consulted in the drafting of this bill? It looks like Mr Setka and co sat down and wrote it for themselves. That's what this bill looks like, and you've been dragged, kicking and screaming, to improve the bill thanks to Senator Cash's amendments. But of course you're squibbing it on the ones that really count. You're dodging it when it comes to having transparency. You're dodging it when it comes to having accountability. You're dodging it when it comes to ensuring the job is done properly. And you're well and truly dodging it when it comes to actually ruling out donations and the money.

If you want to follow something in politics, if you want to follow something in business, if you want to follow something in life, you follow the money trail. And the money trail leads right back to the Australian Labor Party when it comes to the CFMEU. There is self-interest scattered right around this frontbench and right around that corner as well—the quiet, obsequious, silent Australian Greens. When it comes to the CFMEU, what sort of grubby deals have been done there? Why is it that you've voted again and again in this chamber, even more than the Labor Party recently, to actually protect the CFMEU? Why are you so silent on this? You don't want any version of this bill to pass, because apparently you want the money even more than they want the money. You want the donations even more than they want the donations. You want the CFMEU's help even more than they want the CFMEU's help. You've got this whole corrupt line-up in terms of money flowing and ultimately a union that has been inflicting huge chaos and contempt across Australia.

You had the ridiculous situation this morning when Minister Watt was asked about the cost impacts of the CFMEU on the state of construction in Australia. What did Minister Watt say? 'I've had a bit of a look at this and I cannot find any evidence whatsoever to support that.' No evidence! How far in the sand is your head buried, Murray Watt? How far down have you buried your head? Honestly! Or is it that you're so clouded by all the donations that you can't see the corruption, you can't see the wrongdoing, you can't see the impact that it is having on the Australian construction industry? This bill can pass. All you have to do is guarantee you won't keep taking the money.

Murray Watt

Right now, at 3.08 pm on a Thursday afternoon, is the time for the coalition to put their money where their mouth is. For years you have been mouthing off about the CFMEU, mouthing off and making all sorts of claims and doing nothing about it. And right now you can do something about it!

Opposition Senators

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Order! Senator Birmingham was listened to in silence, and that same respect will be shown to Minister Watt. Minister Watt, please continue.

Murray Watt

Thank you, President. They are worried that finally the game is up for the coalition. After years of mouthing off about the CFMEU, they are about to be tested on whether they are actually serious or not.

Opposition senators interjecting—

It's very easy to get out there and make all sorts of claims about unions, as you have been for years, but you never once sought to put—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. I do not intend to keep repeating that you are to listen in silence. If you can't do that, leave the chamber. Minister Watt.

Murray Watt

For years you had the chance to do something about the corruption and criminality that we now know is in the CFMEU. It was under your watch, under your ABCC, and did you ever do anything concrete about it? No, you did not. You never once sought to introduce a bill of the kind that we are seeking to introduce and pass right here today. You never did it, and now, on a Thursday afternoon, you're still squeamish about it, because you just want to run around—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Minister Wong?

Penny Wong

The opposition completely ignored your ruling then.

Michaelia Cash

I don't think Murray needs your protection.

Penny Wong

I'm not protecting him. I'm observing your discourtesy. The President asked for something.

Long debate text truncated.