Statement from ACTU President Ged Kearney:
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is calling for all controversial IR legislation to be put on hold until we can know for certain who is, and who isn’t, eligible to sit in the Federal Parliament.
There are currently five pieces of controversial industrial relations and superannuation legislation before the parliament. Three bills give more power to the big banks over working people’s financial security, and the other two give more power to the ROC, which is currently embroiled in the controversy over the police raid on union offices.
The ongoing citizenship saga is impacting the legitimacy of the government to pass these controversial measures which do not have bi-partisan or stakeholder support.
The government is in crisis. It is improper for controversial industrial relations and superannuation legislation to be passed at this time.
Australians do not currently trust the big banks or the ROC. Giving these organisations more power at this time is not appropriate.
These bills have the capacity to adversely impact the lives of working Australians, and their financial security. They should not be debated, amended or voted on until the public can have confidence on the legitimacy of the government.
Each day, new questions emerge about the status of different members of parliament. These questions need to be answered to give the Australian people assurance that the decisions being made that affect the lives of working people are being done by those who are properly elected.
If the government doesn’t know who is meant to be in the Parliament, they must pause their controversial IR and superannuation agenda until confidence can be restored in the eligibility of those who would be voting to strip rights and financial security from working people.
ENDS
