Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

If that is the explanation, it clearly shows how rushed it was. It was never intended—it just happened to be in there; but can you then explain why it was never intended to provide these vitally important protections for workers to local government employees? You talk about a national scheme where people have the same sort of coverage and conditions. If we were to accept your mantra and rhetoric—which we do not—why should local government employees be treated as second-class Australian citizens by this legislation?