Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Back to workplace relations. The second thing that happened today when I introduced that piece of workplace relations legislation was that I brought a bill to this parliament that was a product of genuine consultation. That is not something that the Howard government did in the last parliament. It did not believe in consulting with those who have expertise on industrial relations. Specifically, the bill went to the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council and its subcommittee, the committee on industrial legislation. With those experts from employer and employee organisations sitting around a table, the bill was improved. That is the benefit of consultation. The consultation continued with state workplace relations ministers. Of course, the former Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations never sat around a table with his ministerial colleagues—not once. This bill was the subject of discussion at the Workplace Relations Ministerial Council, and the council fulsomely endorsed the Rudd Labor government’s policy directions and our intention to go forward with fairness.

The third thing we did today was something else the Howard government would never have believed in doing. The Rudd Labor government led by example positively in the area of workplace relations when we announced that, from today, the government will not make new Australian workplace agreements in the Australian Public Service. We are leading by example to achieve a workplace relations system in which such agreements will be gone.

There appears to be some delusion going on in sections of the opposition benches. There appear to be people who have forgotten the year 2007. I know that for some of them it is a set of painful memories—

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