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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-19 Daily Xml
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Public Service Association

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:14): Does the honourable Treasurer acknowledge that the vast majority of members of the Public Service Association did not support the actions of a very small group of people?

The PRESIDENT: Is this the first supplementary?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Yes.

The PRESIDENT: That is your supplementary; you have asked it.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: No, I have—

The PRESIDENT: You can ask another supplementary in a minute. I'm not allowing triple-barrelled supplementaries.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:14): I am delighted that all the ex-union bosses within the Labor Party—one, two, three—are lining up to defend the other union bosses. Back the Bully movement; it's a Me Too movement in here—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: It's a Me Too movement, Back the Bully movement in this particular area.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: All I can say is that I saw the vision, the shocking, appalling vision of I don't know how many people bullying and intimidating that poor correctional services officer. I wasn't there, but I saw the vision. I'm not sure how many people were there, but it was shocking, it was appalling. It doesn't matter whether it was 50, 100, 150 or 200—the numbers are inconsequential. If the union bosses are leading and inflaming that sort of behaviour—

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Point of order.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Wortley, what is your point of order?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: The question I asked was: did he acknowledge that the vast majority of members of the Public Service Association did not support the actions of the few? What we got in return was an absolute rant, an anti-union rant, which did not answer the question.

The PRESIDENT: The minister is allowed some leeway under the standing orders. I do not accept it's a rant. Treasurer, please continue your answer.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: My answer was and remains that I am unaware of the numbers of people who were at the Adelaide Remand Centre because I wasn't there. I was just shocked at the numbers I saw on television. Can I say that in relation to the broader PSA, I would hope, on my experience with the broader PSA, that the majority of them would be similar to the 10 correctional services officers who, evidently, according to Mr Nev Kitchin, resigned as a result of the action.

Certainly, in my experience dealing with the PSA generally and my knowledge of public servants who are members of unions, I don't—that is why I am very careful in the language I use. I am talking about the thuggish behaviour of the union bosses in relation to this and those who led this particular movement. Whilst I don't know the actual numbers that were there, I would broadly agree with the honourable member's question.

My past experience with the PSA and its membership has been generally cordial and will continue to be so. I would be very disappointed if the majority of those members with whom I have enjoyed cordial relations over many years would be anything other than supportive of the statements that I have made—that is, they would condemn that sort of thuggish and loutish behaviour by the union bosses.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Wortley, your next supplementary.

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