Anti-IR bill bus-crash advertising is ‘shameful’

Attorney-General Christian Porter has slammed the advertisement as ‘shamefully insensitive’ for victims and survivors of road accidents.

Attorney-General Christian Porter. Picture: Gary Ramage

Two of Australia’s most powerful unions have defended an anti-industrial relations bill advertisement which depicts Scott Morrison driving a bus into a group of workers after it was condemned by Attorney-General Christian Porter as “shamefully insensitive”.

The advertisement, part of a joint CFMEU and ETU campaign across radio, social media and TV, shows a smirking Prime Minister driving a bus labelled “IR omnibus bill” towards a group of workers. The union’s “Stop the Bus” campaign is reminiscent of the union’s “Your Rights at Work” advertisements which campaigned against John Howard’s Work Choices legislation.

The advertisement calls on people to lobby crossbench senators – Rex Patrick, Jacqui Lambie, Stirling Griff and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts – who could decide the future of the legislation.

Mr Porter, who is also the government’s industrial relations spokesman, called for the advertisement to be pulled and said it was “shamefully insensitive” for victims and survivors of road accidents. He described the advertisement as a “new low point in Australian politics.”

“It’s one of the most shameful, insensitive to the families of people who have been the victim of these types of things happening on the roads and disgusting pieces of advertising I’ve seen,” he told 2GB radio on Monday.

In a joint statement, the CFMEU and ETU said they would not be deterred from “sanctimonious drivel” from Mr Porter.

“Christian Porter doesn’t like the ad because it exposes the government’s plan to undermine awards and to lock workers into 8-year wage freezes through greenfield agreements.”

“The Liberals are not offended by sports rorts, by robodebt, leaving thousands of Australians stranded overseas, or by an omnibus bill that will leave workers worse off.”

Scott Morrison's Omnibus Bill will hurt Australian workers.
Help #StopTheBus https://t.co/WoMogEjlGt pic.twitter.com/Hp3yz9LsBk

— CFMEU (@CFMEU_CG) January 30, 2021

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke accused the Morrison government of making a story out of the advertisement to distract from their legislation which Labor says will dilute worker’s rights.

“You’ve got a real issue out there. People are going to have a cut to their take-home pay,” he told Sky News.

“This pay cut is real. The cuts to job security that Mr Morrison’s government is currently pursuing are real and we will keep the fight exactly there.”

Industry and business groups, who have backed the government’s industrial relations proposals, have criticised the ad as irresponsible.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry backed Mr Porter’s calls for the advertisement to be taken off air and said it planned to lodge an official complaint with independent regulator Ad Standards.

The Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox described the advertisement as “tasteless” and accused the union of misrepresenting the legislation.

Mr Willox said the bill had followed “extensive consultation” with industry groups and unions and called on MPs to take the time to consider the reforms.

“The Bill addresses some obvious problems in Australia’s IR laws, which are impeding job creation and productivity growth,” he said.

Labor’s criticism of the government’s proposed industrial relations changes have focused on the changes to the Fair Work Act’s “better off overall” test which it says will cut the take-home pay of workers. Under the proposal, businesses which have been affected by COVID would be exempt from the better off overall test in enterprise agreements.

The Morrison government will push ahead with their industrial relations package but will need the support of crossbenchers in the Senate if Labor and the Greens oppose the legislation.

The package is currently before a Senate committee.