Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

It is amazing, and it is an irony. I thought I would take a non-controversial moment in our legislative program to put what I would suggest is quite a controversial situation. By the way, I have mentioned this to others and people seem remarkably unwilling to come close to this extraordinary conundrum. How can the Greens and Labor ever get together in the Senate after 1 July 2008 to get rid of Work Choices when they are so far apart and when they are not on the same page?

I ask the question of you, Senator Siewert. I hope that you can indicate that you are able to move toward a unitary system, that you will restrict the right to strike and that you will restrict the right of entry. I hope that you will address these issues which make the Greens so far apart from Labor that we will not be able to get rid of Work Choices. I say that as a person who has advocated very strongly and very vigorously for Work Choices to go.