Mr BILLSON (3:15 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. Is the minister aware of moves to give workers a greater say in the taking of industrial action? Would the minister inform the House of support for these initiatives?

Mr REITH (Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business) — Mr Speaker—

Mr Melham —The workers' friend.

Mr REITH —`The workers' friend' does have a good ring about it—doesn't it, Prime Minister?

Mr Howard —Yes.

Mr SPEAKER —The minister will come to the question.

Mr REITH —It is an excellent question, and a very good interjection from the opposition, the best thing they have said today. Mr Speaker, I can tell you the people who are most opposed to giving the workers a greater say: the people who sit opposite. They have long opposed the idea of secret ballots and the principle of giving workers a say in the affairs of their own unions.

The coalition government is all about choice: we are about giving people choice when it comes to whether or not they enter into an agreement; we are all about choice whether you are in a union or not in a union; and we also believe people should have a choice as to whether or not they go on strike. That choice should be a real one, it should be a choice free of intimidation and it should be a choice that people should be able to exercise by way of secret ballot. This was coalition policy at the last federal election. I want to advise members today that we are still resolute in our support for the policy, which was endorsed by the Australian people at the last election. Therefore, I will today be reintroducing a bill which is to provide for secret ballots before strike action.

We have had many discussions with the Democrats in recent times. The Democrats have said to the government that, rather than having an omnibus bill containing numerous measures, they believe it is better if policy reforms are dealt with on a bill by bill basis. Therefore, taking up that public suggestion of the Democrats, we will be introducing a series of bills this week on key workplace relations issues which will provide the parties in the Senate with an opportunity to consider them on their merits. The Democrats have said a bit about this already on the public record. In fact, Senator Andrew Murray said in a Senate committee report last November:

Senator Meg Lees also spoke on the issue. She raised her concerns about the details of our proposal prior to Christmas but, in respect of the principle, she said that, if the government was prepared to sit down and talk with the Democrats, then they were prepared to do so in a constructive way. She said:

She was speaking on Radio 2GB on 29 November last year in respect of the provision of secret ballots. So I believe that, on the basis of public comments, there is some support in the Senate for the principle of secret ballots. The government is prepared to sit down and negotiate with the Democrats about the details of such provisions. But we believe the principle is terribly important. It was voted on and endorsed by the Australian people, and I think it is another test of the Labor Party as to whether they support the rank and file trade union members or they simply do as the trade union leadership and elites tell them to do. There is no doubt this is a measure that would give real power to rank and file trade union members in deciding whether or not they should participate in strike action. Labor will, of course, vote against the principle of secret ballots, because they are opposed to giving workers a say.