Phillip Barresi (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Talk about productivity? Sure, talk about productivity, member for Lyons, because what we have at the moment in this country is productivity improvements, and these industrial relations changes we are introducing will further extend the productivity gains we have made over the last 10 years. We will have economic prosperity for this nation. We have seen real wages growth of 16 per cent and employment growth of over 1½ million people, and that will continue. We have a shortage of workers out there in the marketplace, and the union movement and the Labor Party simply want to get in the way of those productivity gains and the economic prosperity that we have already seen.

This parliament has already given significant consideration to the Work Choices reform. It has passed this important legislation. It gives Australia a workplace relations system designed for the 21st century, a system which looks to the future, not to the past. The legislation was debated in this House, and over 23 hours of debate took place. The other place debated Work Choices for more than 32 hours, and now we have this stunt. Contrary to what the critics suggest, Work Choices will not usher in a system that exposes employees to exploitation. Rather, Work Choices puts in place a clear set of minimum wages and conditions and a less confusing and bureaucratic process for agreement making at the workplace.

The government has enshrined in law minimum conditions of employment and has ensured that pre-reform award wages and basic working conditions, including the right to be represented by a union, are protected by law. Under Work Choices there are comprehensive transitional arrangements to assist employers and employees in the move to the new system, and these regulations set out a lot of those transitional arrangements. The government wants to give more Australians the chance at a job and to drive down our unemployment rate even further.

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