Rudd puts alcopops, IR blame on Turnbull

(AAP) - With Labor's new workplace laws hanging in the balance in the Senate, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has unleashed a vitriolic attack on Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull.

Angry over the defeat of its alcopops bill in the Senate the night before, Mr Rudd
accused the opposition of having "a unity ticket" to lower the price of a strong
drink for teenagers and to rip-off working people.
As if preparing for the defeat of its Fair Work Bill, which could be voted on late
on Thursday night, or at a special sitting of parliament on Friday, Mr Rudd
portrayed the opposition as secret supporters of Work Choices.
This is despite declarations that "Work Choices is dead" by Mr Turnbull since he
took the Liberal leadership in September and by his predecessor Brendan Nelson soon
after the 2007 election defeat.
Even though it was Family First senator Steve Fielding who tipped the balance and
voted with the opposition to sink the government's $1.6 billion tax on alcopops, the
government worked hard in question time to sheet home the blame to the opposition.
Mr Rudd said the opposition should "hang your heads in shame" over the alcopops vote
which would lower the price of pre-mix drinks in a few week's time.
On the Fair Work Bill, Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard has refused to
negotiate with the opposition and will not give any further ground to the seven
crossbench senators.
It has refused to negotiate with the opposition on the bill.
A sticking point is a call by independent Nick Xenophon and Senator Fielding for the
government to change its definition of small business from 15 to 20 employees in
relation to unfair dismissal laws.
Mr Rudd labelled Mr Turnbull "the supreme pretender" unable to resist the forces
within his own party wanting a return to the Howard government's Work Choices
industrial relations (IR) regime.
He prodded at the leadership tension between Mr Turnbull and former treasurer Peter
Costello, saying it was a battle between the "purists and the pretenders" - the
Costello pro-Work Choices forces versus the rest.
"When the member for Higgins (Mr Costello) replaces the member for Wentworth (Mr
Turnbull) as the leader of the opposition, what will happen, it will be like
Frankenstein having the electrodes reconnected as far as Work Choices is concerned,"
Mr Rudd told parliament.
The opposition countered with an attack on the government's economic management
accusing it of wasting money with its $42 billion stimulus package, increasing the
risk of a "Rudd recession".
"The treasurer is to economics what the prime minister is to public speaking, they
are hopelessly incompetent, disgracing both professions," Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Turnbull turned to a phrase once used by former Labor prime minister Paul
Keating, saying that "like a dog returning to its vomit" the so-called Ruddbank -
the government's planned business investment partnership - was a return to the
failed state banks under Labor in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
The opposition tried to gag the government by moving a censure motion only to be
defeated along party lines.
It was the last question time in parliament for seven weeks when both houses return
for the federal budget on May 12.