Annastacia Palaszczuk has rewarded her union paymasters ahead of the looming state election with a dirty deal targeting family businesses and vulnerable workers.
Shadow Employment Minister Jarrod Bleijie said the Labour Hire Licensing Bill, passed in State Parliament today, was farcical and was solely aimed at boosting union membership – it was time for Labor to pay back the piper.
“This was nothing but union-serving legislation. What better way to boost declining union membership than under the guise of important legislation,” Mr Bleijie said.
“This legislation was not about catching dodgy labour hire operators. It was all about Labor’s union mates, such as the CFMEU and the ETU, and giving them access to a new revenue stream that will directly benefit the Palaszczuk Labor Government.
“The bullying that we see by the CFMEU in the building industry is about to be unleashed onto the agriculture sector and labour hire industry.”
Mr Bleijie said it was amazing that the only organisations that supported this legislation were the unions that bankrolled the Palaszczuk Labor Government to the tune of millions.
“The CCIQ in their submission* stated ‘this Bill will add to an already significant compliance burden for businesses, undermine job growth, and create an unnecessary layer of legal requirements to which a sufficient safety net for temporary forms of employment already exists.’
“Sunshine Coast-based non-government disability organisation, Steps Group, in their submission+ stated ‘this is bad law that will be bad news for jobs in Queensland and, bad for Queensland employers.”
Mr Bleijie said the legislation would allow unions unprecedented access to workers’ details and a register that outlined where workers were and who they worked for.
“Let’s be very clear what this is all about. It’s not about ensuring that workers are paid for the work that they do,” he said.
“It’s not about standing up for workers’ rights or the actual objectives that Labor would have Queenslanders believe.
“This Bill was all about keeping the greedy union bosses happy and ticking off another promise which is in their interest, not in the interest of Queenslanders.
“This is a perfect example of unnecessary red tape and regulation which we know is in Labor’s DNA.
“It just adds cost and more bureaucracy, bloating the public service to solve a problem that already has a solution.
“It means Queensland families will pay even higher taxes, fees and charges at a time when the cost of living is out of control and we have record high electricity prices under Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor.”
