Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the APEC Public Holiday Bill 2007. I indicate that Labor will be supporting the bill because it relates to the security arrangements surrounding APEC. Australia was a foundation member of APEC and Labor were a driving force behind its establishment, so we are strong supporters of APEC and we welcome its return to Australia. But we acknowledge that there are serious security implications with holding it in Australia. This bill provides for a public holiday on 7 September 2007 to allow for the smoother and safer running of the event in Sydney. We will be supporting the bill so these arrangements can be put in place, which include the public holiday in the relevant local government areas. This bill seeks to recognise the public holiday for people under federal industrial instruments, to ensure that they are entitled to the public holiday. I understand that the state parliament will be doing a similar thing for those who are under state industrial arrangements.

Of course, the complexity of this is multiplied by the Work Choices legislation and the concerns about those whose entitlement to public holidays has been affected. We are moving a second reading amendment which seeks to highlight the concerns about Work Choices and, more importantly, about protection of public holidays and penalty rates for working on public holidays. I move:

At the end of the motion, add:

                 “but the Senate condemns the Government’s failure to:

             (a)    ensure fairness at work and fairness beyond work through its inherently unfair Work Choices laws;

             (b)    provide proper protections from important Australian national public holidays, such as Anzac Day; and

             (c)    recognise the adverse impacts these unfair laws have had on working Australians, their families and the wider Australian community”.

Given the time, I will not delay the Senate by speaking to that at any length. I note, however, that the government have a range of amendments, which seems to indicate that there are still some concerns about this legislation and whether they have got it right. I will reserve my remarks on that until I hear what the minister has to say about that. Perhaps those amendments have already been incorporated—I am not sure. Anyway, Labor will be supporting the bill, and I have moved the second reading amendment.