I have not seen the anti union ad since sunday. Could this be the reason ? Surely Peter Costello wasn't embarrassed by being caught out in a lie in their advertising. I thought that lying was part of the Liberals' bag of tricks.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Joe Hockey says the role of the unions is essentially over. If that is true, what's the point in running a fear campaign about union bosses?
PETER COSTELLO: Look, I think unions have a role for people who voluntarily join them. You should be entitled to join a union and have it represent you. I don't think you should be forced into unions, but of course, you should be entitled and many people do and I have no objection whatsoever for people who want to join unions. I object if you get forced into it, I don't think that's right, I think you should have free choice. But I would go on, and I would say that nowadays, with the Workplace Ombudsman, there are alternatives to unions if you want to use them. So, you don't have to join a union. But if you want to, fair enough.
BARRIE CASSIDY: If you win the next election, will the role of unions diminish even further? PETER COSTELLO: I think there'll always be unions.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Always a union but will their role be diminished?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, they'll have a role for people who want to join them.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But the point there is that people will think, "Well, if they're effectively over, their control is effectively over, you'll be then free to do whatever you want on WorkChoices beyond the election".
PETER COSTELLO: Well, unions at the moment cover 15 per cent of the private sector workforce. And I would expect them to continue to cover people in the private sector union. There are some occupations that are more heavily unionised than others, but go back to the Bob Hawke days, I think unions covered about 50 per cent of the workforce, and the point we make about Labor and the union connection is 15 per cent of the work force is covered by unions, 70 per cent of Mr Rudd's front bench are ex-union officials and I think 100 per cent are union members.
BARRIE CASSIDY: It's not true to say ... it's not true to say, and surely you know it. It's not true to say that 70 per cent of Labor's front bench are union officials.
PETER COSTELLO: Well, let's go through them one by one.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Wayne Swan. No, no let's start with Wayne Swan.
PETER COSTELLO: We'll start with Ferguson, we'll start Crean, go to Bevis. Let's ... I mean what do you say it is? 60 per cent?
BARRIE CASSIDY: What union did Wayne Swan work for and what was that job?
PETER COSTELLO: Wayne Swan is a member of the AWU (Australian Workers' Union).
BARRIE CASSIDY: He is a member of the union.
PETER COSTELLO: Yeah...
BARRIE CASSIDY: Your ad says that he was a union official.
PETER COSTELLO: Part of the AWU faction, is that right?
BARRIE CASSIDY: What was his job?
PETER COSTELLO: And he was ALP State Secretary, I think.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Yes. You say that he is a union official. What was his job and what union did he work for?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, he was an AWU official ... member.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Member.
PETER COSTELLO: A member was he, yeah ok?
BARRIE CASSIDY: Correct. Craig Emerson?
PETER COSTELLO: I don't know about Craig.
BARRIE CASSIDY: Well, your ad says that he was a union official.
PETER COSTELLO: Well, was he a union member?
BARRIE CASSIDY: No, he wasn't ... he was a union member but not an official.
PETER COSTELLO: I think he worked on Bob Hawke's (inaudible), Barrie.
BARRIE CASSIDY: He did.
PETER COSTELLO: And he was a union official, wasn't he?
BARRIE CASSIDY: No.
PETER COSTELLO: You sure he wasn't a branch official?
BARRIE CASSIDY: Positive.
PETER COSTELLO: Ok. But what do you say it is if it's not 70 per cent? 60 per cent? I saw the Labor Party said it was 60 per cent.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But there must be some value put in truth in advertising, and...
PETER COSTELLO: I will pull out the list for you. Let's ... Ferguson, Crean, George, Shorten, Combet, Bevis, what are we ... am I flagging Kim Carr, am I flagging here?
BARRIE CASSIDY: Let's move on now to...
PETER COSTELLO: Lindsay Tanner. Am I flagging? I mean, are there not enough? The 15 per cent of the private sector work force ... Nick Sherry.
BARRIE CASSIDY: But a couple are not.
PETER COSTELLO: What, a couple of them are not? A couple of them are not? Out of what, 30?
BARRIE CASSIDY: That's all I'm saying. Unemployment...
PETER COSTELLO: Ok, a couple are not out of 30, Barrie, gee, I mean...
BARRIE CASSIDY: It's still important to get the, I think, advertising correct.
PETER COSTELLO: Well ok, OK we can rest assured, because a couple of Rudd's front bench are not former union officials.
BARRIE CASSIDY: No, a couple named by the Liberal Party.
