Mr McMULLAN —My question is to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Small Business. Minister, have you now adopted a policy of being partisan not only against workers and unions but also against employers who want to work cooperatively with them? If not, why are you attacking waterfront employers who will not be provoked into industrial disputes—those employers who said of you that you are getting everybody into a frenzy but not achieving anything? Why are you attacking companies like BHP who work cooperatively with unions and workers to improve productivity without confrontation?

Mr REITH —What I am attacking are the inefficiencies on the waterfront which are costing thousands of Australians their jobs. That is what I am attacking. I am attacking this situation in a Queensland port which we inherited from you. Let me go through it quietly for you. Waterside workers are on a 35-hour week—this is a real-life example under the system you gave us—and have been for many years. However, unlike most industries they are paid during their tea and meal breaks, which reduces the time available to 31.25 hours a week. In addition, walking time to and from the crib room extends the time stopped by, on average, seven minutes each way or 28 minutes per shift, further reducing work time from the 35 hours all the way down to 28.9 hours a week.

Waterside workers are therefore available for 31.25 hours a week; however the number of days that they are available during the year is reduced by the following entitlements. First of all, how many working days? There are 261 a year. So they get five weeks annual leave, they get 10 days sick leave, they get four days long service leave, they get 11 days public holiday and they get 17½ idle time which comes to 35½ days. So out of the total number of work days in a year—52 weeks, put it that way, for most people; most people get four weeks annual leave—these guys, if you take all their benefits, are not at work for 17.1 weeks of the year. And they are being paid for it. In addition to that they get—

Mr McGauran —What about the allowances?

Mr REITH —There is an interjection asking about the allowances. Sure, you get a dust allowance. So if you are working in an environment which is dusty you get paid an allowance. But if you are at home you get paid the dust allowance as well. And these people say: what are we on about? We are on about fixing up the mess which we inherited from you with wharfies who have, in effect, to struggle to get to work for 52 minus 17 weeks of the year. And you say, `The government is attacking the union. The government is attacking the employers.' I will tell you what we are doing: we are attacking the problem you left us.