Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I am asked for reactions to this; I am asked how these changes have been received. I do regret to inform the House that there is much misinformation out there about our simple modern award system and the transition to it. The shadow minister for employment and workplace relations, who is interjecting now, has been responsible for much of that misinformation. I actually complimented the shadow minister last night—that is, I compared him favourably to my other opponent, the member for Sturt. Even today I am prepared to say he does compare favourably to the member for Sturt. Last night when we were debating the transitional and consequential bill to the Fair Work Act he appeared to understand a bit about this five-year period. He had been on the front of the Australian saying he was going to move amendments relating to this five-year period. Then I was able to explain to him that actually the five-year period was already in existence and—surprise, surprise!—it was in legislation that they voted for, indeed in the first bill introduced into this parliament after the election.

We had a discussion last night in the parliament where the shadow minister appeared to understand about this five-year period, even though his system would have been one where state based differences stayed for five years and then there would have been a chaotic drop-dead date where everybody went to the new system over 24 hours. Our system was a gradual phase-in over a full five years. We had an extensive discussion about this five-year period, so you would understand my confusion when this morning on ABC radio the opposition spokesperson on workplace relations said this.

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