Mr HAASE (2:20 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister update the House on the progress of reform of Australia’s workplace relations system? Are there any alternative views?

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Order! The minister has the right to be heard.

Mr ANDREWS (Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) —I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for his question, because the bill that passed the House of Representatives today represents nine years of listening by this government to the employers and the employees of Australia about what is needed to update our century-old industrial relations system. The Work Choices bill stands in marked contrast to the blanket opposition for opposition’s sake that we have seen from the Leader of the Opposition and those behind him. Even before he had seen the bill, the Leader of the Opposition was promising to rip it up—even before he had seen it. This is just opposition for opposition’s sake. What this confirms is that, basically, the Leader of the Opposition stands for nothing; he stands for nothing when it comes to these issues. All that the Leader of the Opposition is concerned about is opposing things for opposition’s sake. There is a track record of this.

Mr Beazley —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Is it relevant for him to be mentioning the opposition’s stance without pointing out that it is motivated by a determination—

The SPEAKER —The minister was asked a question that included alternative views. The minister is in order.

Mr ANDREWS —The Leader of the Opposition has a track record when it comes to opposition for opposition’s sake. This is the man who opposed the Workplace Relations Act in 1996. This is the man who opposed, on some 41 separate occasions, attempts to reform the unfair dismissal laws. This is the man who opposed the new taxation system. This is the man who opposed the balancing of the budget. This is the man who opposed the privatisation of Telstra. Of course, he admits to this. Back in 2000, in an interview on 5AN Radio in Adelaide, he was quizzed about his negativity. This is what the Leader of the Opposition said:

That is all we hear from the Leader of the Opposition. I looked up the dictionary to see if there were some synonyms for ‘carping’, and there are—complaining, moaning, nitpicking, fault finding and rousing. That is all we hear from the Leader of the Opposition—complaining, nitpicking, fault finding and carping all the time.

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Order! I remind members that the voters of Australia deserve better.

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —I will restate that: the voters of Australia deserve better from their elected representatives—and that includes their behaviour in this House.

Mr ANDREWS —The member for Brand, in nine years, eight months and eight days, has done nothing but carp, carp, carp.