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

As we know, the Liberal opposition are committed to a return to Work Choices style legislation. That sort of extremist and ideological legislation saw one in five Australians exposed to being sacked unfairly, without any recourse to fair arbitration. We saw thousands and thousands of workers forced against their will to sign individual contracts. We know the impact of those contracts: 64 per cent of AWAs cut annual leave loading, 63 per cent cut penalty rates, 40 per cent cut rest breaks and 36 per cent cut declared public holidays. That is the sort of approach that the Liberal opposition want to return to. The Labor government is absolutely committed to maintaining the Fair Work Act, maintaining fairness for Australian workers and ensuring that they can enjoy job security and plan for their futures. (Time expired)