Hockey Schtick

Hamish Heard
Federal Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey used an overnight stay in Geelong this week to launch a verbal attack on Labor’s candidate for Corio.
Mr Hockey labelled Corio candidate Richard Marles a “union patsy” who used “typical union thuggery” to oust sitting Labor member Gavan O’Connor from parliament.
Mr Marles, who resigned as Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary this week, beat Mr O’Connor in a bitter preselection battle last year amid allegations of branch stacking.
“Richard Marles is happy to engage in thuggery to get rid of Gavan O’Connor yet he and the other union bosses cry foul every time an employer has to break a relationship with an employee,” Mr Hockey said.
“The people of Geelong should not reward Richard Marles and the union bosses for that sort of behaviour.”
Mr Hockey warned that a Labor government would be disastrous for Geelong as global economic factors led to a manufacturing downturn in Australia.
He likened a closure of Ford in Geelong to Newcastle, which emerged relatively unscathed after steel giant BHP closed shop.
“Small business helped rebuild Newcastle and in Geelong, as manufacturing turns down, you want incentives for small business to employ more people and grow the pie,” Mr Hockey said.
“We removed unfair dismissal laws for small business and gave employers incentives to give people jobs and that led to a massive drop in the unemployment rates.
“If those businesses suddenly had the threat of unfair dismissal laws being restored they would not be inclined to risk employing people.”
Mr Hockey claimed Labor’s plan to abolish Work Choices legislation would lead to higher interest rates, rising unemployment, lower wages and growing inflation.
But Mr Marles rubbished the claims and challenged Mr Hockey to return to Geelong for a debate on industrial relations.
“This comes from a man who represents a government that’s presided over nine interest rate rises in a row and five since the last election when they duped the Australian public into believing they would keep (rates) low,” Mr Marles said.
“This is straight out of the Liberal party textbook on how to do a union scare campaign.
“The working people of Geelong know all too well that John Howard’s industrial laws are unfair and are causing them pain.”