Senator Eric Abetz

“In an extraordinary display of how beholden the ALP is to the Greens the Senate today witnessed the unseemly spectacle of Labor refusing to even mildly rebuke the Greens for attacks on the Labor President of the Senate,” Senator Abetz said today.

“Senator Bob Brown is on record as saying of the President “…this current very poor Presidential management of the Senate” (20/3/12) “…Senate process… And it’s being demeaned and debased because it’s not being adequately protected by the President of the day.” and “…it went past this inadequate President…”

After just two hours of debate in the Senate today, the Textile, Clothing and Footwear amendment to the Fair Work Act was rushed through the Senate. This is despite Julia Gillard’s comments that the Fair Work Act ‘got the balance right’, as well as the ongoing review of the Fair Work Act and the Manufacturing Sector taking place at the moment.

“The Green Labor Alliance guillotine motion ensured that some 7 Senators missed out on speaking and that the Senate was unable to look at the Government’s last minute amendments nor debate the Coalition’s commonsense amendments,” Senator Abetz said.”

“A crafty piece of spin, not a mistake, is how I’d describe reports in today’s media about Kevin Rudd allegedly confusing disgraced Tasmanian unionist and disendorsed Labor candidate Kevin Harkins with Kevin Reynolds,” Senator Abetz said today.

“Mr Rudd said in 2010 that Harkins was a “pugilist” whose chances of entering the Senate were “Buckley’s and none”.

Today’s passing of the bill to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission marks a very dark day for the sector with the Green Labor Alliance showing their true colours – being more interested in protecting the union bosses than individual workers, small business and independent contractors according to Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Senator Eric Abetz.

“Thanks to the Green-Labor Alliance the red carpet has now been rolled out to the kinds of thuggery and illegality that was being stamped out following the Cole Royal Commission,” Senator Abetz said today.