❓ Question regarding the implementation of a policy similar to the ACT's tender policy in WA, focusing on potential negative impacts of a Labor government on small businesses and construction industry due to union influence.
AnsweredQoN 130Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TENDERS —
GOODS AND SERVICES — WA LABOR PLATFORM
130. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Small Business:
I refer to media reports on the Australian Capital Territory
government's policy on tenders for goods and services. Would the
minister consider implementing a similar policy here in Western Australia?
GOODS AND SERVICES — WA LABOR PLATFORM
130. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Small Business:
I refer to media reports on the Australian Capital Territory
government's policy on tenders for goods and services. Would the
minister consider implementing a similar policy here in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield for his question and for
the support of small business in his electorate. Let me say from the outset,
this is an exceptionally serious issue. In fact, there is no more serious issue
facing not just small business but all businesses in Western Australia than
this issue right now and what the Labor Party policy would be should it win the
next election. It is exceptionally serious because, of course, the greatest
threat to any business anywhere in Western Australia would be a future Labor
government. We need only look at what has occurred in the ACT recently as
reported across the front page of yesterday's The Australian . I will read just a little bit from it. According to
reports in The Australian , and I quote
—
� all ACT government agencies had
been told to ''decline to award a tender proposal for ACT government
works or services'' if the tenderer does not undertake to meet a list of
union demands �
Those demands include access to company records and names and
addresses of workers. It states further —
Unions are also to be supplied
with the names of companies and contractors —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I
will get to that.
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Churchlands, for the first time. Member for Armadale, I do not want
to hear from you.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
The article continues —
Unions are also to be supplied
with the names of companies and contractors tendering for business before any
contract is let, to ''advise the government'' if the tenderer
fails the union test and can ask for a contract to be cancelled if the company
breaches the union requirements.
If Ayn Rand had written this in Atlas Shrugged , she would have been absolutely right. It is exactly
what the Labor Party is doing in the ACT and the greatest fear for business in Western
Australia is that it will happen if the other side wins the election. As a snapshot,
97 per cent of all registered businesses in Western Australia are small
businesses. Out of all of those registered small businesses, 18 per cent work
in the construction industry.
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for West Swan!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
Almost 16-odd per cent of all businesses in Western Australia are small
businesses in the construction industry. One-third of all government tenders
across Western Australia go to small businesses. Construction is the number one
industry for small business in Western Australia and we know —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order
for the third time now.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
We know from the Heydon royal commission about the culture of negativity and
the influence unions have everywhere in the country. Dyson Heydon wrote
recently that we can look at any area of Australia, at any unionised industry
or any type of industrial union or select any period of time or search for any
type of misbehaviour and we will find rich examples over the last 23 years in
the Australian trade union movement. So, of course, we have to ask: what would
happen here if that policy were adopted in Western Australia. We know what the
Labor Party's position is.
Dr
A.D. Buti interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Armadale!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : We do not have to go far to find out what it would do if it
won the next election. I am going to spend every single waking hour, as will
everyone on this side of the house, between now and the next election reminding
every single small business operator across the breadth and width of Western Australia
what its policy is.
Ms
R. Saffioti interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Let me get to the point —
A WA Labor Government will review all
procurement policies and practices to ensure the following:
(a) That preference in awarding contracts is given to those
companies that are prepared to work —
Come in spinner!
Point of Order
The SPEAKER : Members, I want to hear this in silence.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Mr Speaker, you have actually ruled on this
previously. The minister can answer matters that come under the minister's
administrative responsibility, but it is not possible for him to answer
questions regarding the Labor Party's platform.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Forrestfield, I call you to order for the first time.
Minister, stick to what is the government's position rather than making
some conjectures about something else.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Okay, Mr Speaker; I am
happy to do that. The government's position is to not do what the Labor
Party wants to do, which is —
That
preference in awarding contracts is given to those companies that are prepared
to work within the Labor Governments industrial relations framework; that is,
which have a positive approach towards the rights of trade unions and their
members �
�
WA
Labor will introduce mechanisms, systems and practices within government
departments and authorities which are capable of implementing and policing the
above,
What a shame! The truth is that the greatest threat to any business
operator in this state is a future Labor government. The big challenge right
now is for the Leader of the Opposition to get some integrity and to stand up
and tell all the union heavyweights otherwise.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee! Right, wind it up, please.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : We know that the Labor Party will never
stand up to the union movement. People need only go and ask the Deputy Mayor of
Fremantle.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sit down. Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first
time, and the member for Armadale for the second time. I want a 10-second
wind-up.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : People only have to go and ask the Deputy Mayor
of Fremantle what he thinks about the union thuggery in the Labor Party. They
only have to go and ask Alannah MacTiernan and Gary Gray about the problems
facing the Labor Party. It has nothing to do with the leadership; it is to do
with the structure. Rest assured that there is not a single person on this side
of the house who would ever implement anything that Labor would do if it ever
wins government.
the support of small business in his electorate. Let me say from the outset,
this is an exceptionally serious issue. In fact, there is no more serious issue
facing not just small business but all businesses in Western Australia than
this issue right now and what the Labor Party policy would be should it win the
next election. It is exceptionally serious because, of course, the greatest
threat to any business anywhere in Western Australia would be a future Labor
government. We need only look at what has occurred in the ACT recently as
reported across the front page of yesterday's The Australian . I will read just a little bit from it. According to
reports in The Australian , and I quote
—
� all ACT government agencies had
been told to ''decline to award a tender proposal for ACT government
works or services'' if the tenderer does not undertake to meet a list of
union demands �
Those demands include access to company records and names and
addresses of workers. It states further —
Unions are also to be supplied
with the names of companies and contractors —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : I
will get to that.
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Churchlands, for the first time. Member for Armadale, I do not want
to hear from you.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
The article continues —
Unions are also to be supplied
with the names of companies and contractors tendering for business before any
contract is let, to ''advise the government'' if the tenderer
fails the union test and can ask for a contract to be cancelled if the company
breaches the union requirements.
If Ayn Rand had written this in Atlas Shrugged , she would have been absolutely right. It is exactly
what the Labor Party is doing in the ACT and the greatest fear for business in Western
Australia is that it will happen if the other side wins the election. As a snapshot,
97 per cent of all registered businesses in Western Australia are small
businesses. Out of all of those registered small businesses, 18 per cent work
in the construction industry.
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for West Swan!
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
Almost 16-odd per cent of all businesses in Western Australia are small
businesses in the construction industry. One-third of all government tenders
across Western Australia go to small businesses. Construction is the number one
industry for small business in Western Australia and we know —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order
for the third time now.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
We know from the Heydon royal commission about the culture of negativity and
the influence unions have everywhere in the country. Dyson Heydon wrote
recently that we can look at any area of Australia, at any unionised industry
or any type of industrial union or select any period of time or search for any
type of misbehaviour and we will find rich examples over the last 23 years in
the Australian trade union movement. So, of course, we have to ask: what would
happen here if that policy were adopted in Western Australia. We know what the
Labor Party's position is.
Dr
A.D. Buti interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Armadale!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : We do not have to go far to find out what it would do if it
won the next election. I am going to spend every single waking hour, as will
everyone on this side of the house, between now and the next election reminding
every single small business operator across the breadth and width of Western Australia
what its policy is.
Ms
R. Saffioti interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Let me get to the point —
A WA Labor Government will review all
procurement policies and practices to ensure the following:
(a) That preference in awarding contracts is given to those
companies that are prepared to work —
Come in spinner!
Point of Order
The SPEAKER : Members, I want to hear this in silence.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Mr Speaker, you have actually ruled on this
previously. The minister can answer matters that come under the minister's
administrative responsibility, but it is not possible for him to answer
questions regarding the Labor Party's platform.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Forrestfield, I call you to order for the first time.
Minister, stick to what is the government's position rather than making
some conjectures about something else.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Okay, Mr Speaker; I am
happy to do that. The government's position is to not do what the Labor
Party wants to do, which is —
That
preference in awarding contracts is given to those companies that are prepared
to work within the Labor Governments industrial relations framework; that is,
which have a positive approach towards the rights of trade unions and their
members �
�
WA
Labor will introduce mechanisms, systems and practices within government
departments and authorities which are capable of implementing and policing the
above,
What a shame! The truth is that the greatest threat to any business
operator in this state is a future Labor government. The big challenge right
now is for the Leader of the Opposition to get some integrity and to stand up
and tell all the union heavyweights otherwise.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee! Right, wind it up, please.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : We know that the Labor Party will never
stand up to the union movement. People need only go and ask the Deputy Mayor of
Fremantle.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sit down. Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first
time, and the member for Armadale for the second time. I want a 10-second
wind-up.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS : People only have to go and ask the Deputy Mayor
of Fremantle what he thinks about the union thuggery in the Labor Party. They
only have to go and ask Alannah MacTiernan and Gary Gray about the problems
facing the Labor Party. It has nothing to do with the leadership; it is to do
with the structure. Rest assured that there is not a single person on this side
of the house who would ever implement anything that Labor would do if it ever
wins government.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.