Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to a question asked by the member for Grayndler on 10 August about Tristar’s refusal to guarantee it would meet its redundancy obligations to its employees covered by a collective agreement. I also refer the Prime Minister to the Tristar employees in the gallery today. Is the Prime Minister aware that Tristar has now applied to terminate the collective agreement, which would see its redundancy obligations massively reduced? What does the Prime Minister say to Marty Peek in the gallery, who has worked for Tristar for 34 years and who stands to lose over $130,000 in redundancy entitlements as a result of Tristar’s actions?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remember that a number of questions were asked in August. I would have to check the record as to the precise—

Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, the same excuse!

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don’t pretend to carry in my mind every single question asked through the year. I will conscientiously have a look at the question asked by the member for Grayndler and I will come back and give a more detailed answer. But in the meantime I take the opportunity of saying to the ladies and gentlemen who are in the gallery from that company that, if there is any injustice that has been done to you, that is wrong; and if there are remedies available to do with that injustice, those remedies should be invoked.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hayes interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Werriwa is warned!

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I might also say to the ladies and gentlemen from that company in the gallery—

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Give them the Stan Howard deal!

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Brisbane! The Prime Minister has the call and he will be heard.

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aviation and Transport Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Bevis interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Brisbane is warned too. The Prime Minister has the call.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will also take the opportunity of saying to the ladies and gentlemen in the gallery that the government I lead is the first government in Australia’s history to bring in a scheme that guarantees the payment of certain basic entitlements in the event of a company not being able to—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And I am very proud of that. I also take this opportunity of telling them in relation to redundancy that the government recently announced that it would increase the basic entitlement that would be paid under GEERS where there was a default by the employing company to the community standard of 16 weeks, which was adjudged by the Industrial Relations Commission.

So, whilst those who sit opposite may seek to contrast their position from ours, I remind not only the ladies and gentlemen in the gallery but the Australian people that, when the Labor Party were in office for 13 years, they did not bother to introduce a scheme of this kind. They were prepared to let people lose their redundancies and other things when companies went broke. I am very proud of the fact that we have moved in relation to that.

But in relation to the particular question asked by the Leader of the Opposition, I will refer to the question asked by the member for Grayndler. If there is any further information that I can make available, particularly to the people in the gallery, I will be happy to do so.