Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

If Australia is to move forward and prosper as a nation, we need a modern industrial relations system that balances the flexibility required by business with the security needed by employees and their families. This government’s extreme industrial relations system has tipped the balance too far against working families by removing things like overtime and penalty rates, leave loadings, rostering protections, and redundancy pay for many. The amendments contained in the Workplace Relations Amendment (A Stronger Safety Net) Bill 2007 will not—I repeat, will not—restore the balance. They will not restore sufficient basic conditions that Australian families rely on. They will not restore the faith of the Australian people, lost by a government who did not even see fit to consult them on their industrial relations laws at the last election. Work Choices is at the heart of why people no longer trust John Howard and Peter Costello. Prior to the last election, Work Choices was never mentioned. The government—

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