Christian Porter reduces Labor to nothing more than a middle man by dealing direct with ACTU’s Sally McManus

Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese with frontbenchers during Question Time in the House of Representatives. Picture: Gary Ramage

Cutting out the middle man. That is what Industrial Relations minister Christian Porter has done by going straight to the trade union movement to do a deal over the JobKeeper legislation.

Porter has reduced the Labor opposition to nothing more than a middle man between the government and trade union movement. Labor hasn’t been consulted, and it is driving them crazy.

While procedurally Porter really should have taken the time to brief and consult the opposition during this crisis, as a matter of courtesy — if only to ensure safe passage of the legislation and as a nod to our democratic institutions — he was under no obligation to do so.

And with the ACTU Secretary Sally McManus happy to deal with Porter directly, the approach taken has been the most simple and easy way to get a deal done.

Perhaps a sign of things to come post this crisis?

Secretary of the ACTU Sally McManus.

Attorney-General Christian Porter.

Because let’s face it: even if Porter consulted with the Labor opposition directly, the shadow IR spokesman Tony Burke would need to go cap in hand to the ACTU for subsequent approval anyway.

Direct dialogue between Porter and McManus builds trust. Using Labor as a conduit likely creates distance and scepticism. Not necessarily because Labor would have played games by the way. Just because that’s politics unfortunately.

The alternative would have been for Porter to invite Labor into his negotiations with the unions, but that would have seen him outnumbered in his own negotiation. Stacking the odds against himself.

The fact the unions and the government were able to strike a late-night deal off the back of earlier good deal making has a number of significant consequences.

Firstly, it speaks to the magnitude of the challenge the coronavirus has created. Partisan differences were put to one side in the name of getting an acceptable outcome.

Second, it means Labor in parliament is wedged. They won’t be blocking the legislation, and even if they tried to do so it would rebound badly on them given the ACTU’s support.

Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese.

Third, a deal done now means that in the future there is the potential for deals to be done directly between the Coalition and the union movement. While business has long engaged constructively with unions — despite limited media attention of this fact — the Coalition has not. That’s because its political opponents are union affiliated.

Never waste a crisis is the old saying, and on this occasion Porter didn’t waste the opportunity to do a deal with the union movement. Equally, McManus didn’t let traditional differences in values and beliefs get in the road of doing what workers want and need.

Peter van Onselen is political editor for Network 10 and professor of politics and public policy at the University of Western Australia and Griffith University.