Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his Deputy Prime Minister’s previous answer. I also refer him to his guarantee given in this House that ‘no working families in this country will be worse off as a consequence of the industrial relations laws’. Does the Prime Minister stand by his guarantee, and will the Prime Minister also guarantee that no Australian employer will face higher labour costs under the government’s new award system?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would again refer to that statement by the honourable member who has just asked the question, where he says that he endorses the position taken by the minister, and I would refer to his statement in the House on 2 June 2009. The government’s mandate to reform the industrial relations system in this country is absolutely clear-cut: get rid of Work Choices, get rid of AWAs and bring in a fair and balanced industrial relations system. That is what we have done. The government stands by the policy underpinning that legislation and supports the determinations which were contained in the statements by the AIRC last week. In terms of transitional arrangements for both employers and employees, it is the right policy for the country.