Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for that question. In relation to the Forward with Fairness package, what this government did was to take forward the principles which would underpin the industrial relations system. Those principles that it took forward included those issues which underpinned the new workplace relations system: a Fair Work Australia institution as a one-stop shop and a strong and simple safety net for all Australian workers, including a minimum wage. In respect of the right to strike, the Forward with Fairness policy dealt with those issues in a clear way. What we do is to believe in the umpire’s decision in relation to these issues around industrial relations, unlike the Liberals, who believe in Work Choices, who will not see what happened at the last election and who will not recognise that Work Choices is no longer relevant to the Australian ‘fair go all round’ principle.

What we looked at was how we could ensure that there would be clear, tough rules for industrial action. Those clear, tough rules for industrial action would ensure that, in the Australian government’s new workplace relations system, industrial action will be governed by clear, tough rules. Those rules will ensure that protected industrial action will only be available during collective bargaining if it has been approved by a majority of employees in a mandatory secret ballot. Of course, employees and/or their bargaining representatives will be required to provide to their employer, within three working days, written notice of their intention to take—