Thank you.
Being as objective as I am on this, I want to come to understand a few things. I can understand the purpose of trade unions. Nobody is disputing the fact that trade unions are necessary. Trade unions, like corporations, are legitimate instruments of society, but there is one thing I don't understand. Australia, France, Germany, the U.K., New Zealand, the Unites States, and even MPs, senators, all levels of government, publicly traded companies, charities, foundations—all these entities have to make public disclosure of how they spend their money.
Help me out here, Mr. Oakey. First, if a public disclosure is good for everybody else, why isn't it good for trade unions? Second, would this legislation restrict trade unions from engaging in the kinds of activity that they engage in right now, such as funding political lobbying and funding groups that are not associated with advancing the interest of workers? Would this bill restrict their ability to do that?