Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

But the classic piece of spin doctoring by the Deputy Prime Minister is that individual agreements are no longer part of the system. This is simply wrong. Not only will AWAs and ITEAs continue forever, but the Deputy Prime Minister has allowed individual facilitation agreements. On my reading of these agreements, they allow a legal arrangement between an employer and an employee outside of the award system. That is an individual agreement. So, to use Labor’s new mantra, ‘Look at what they do, not what they say.’

Finally, the response to this bill by certain employer organisations has been a disgrace. At some stage, their members will consider whether they are being represented properly or if those at the top of those organisations are seeking favour in the future from the current government. In this bill, we see the worst aspects of Labor—where they arrogantly presume to be the holders of all knowledge, where they assume that Australians cannot make their own decisions without having someone else tell them what to do. Labor has always been more interested in representing those in the employment club rather than those outside the employment club. The true test of this bill will be its impact on Australians. The true test of this bill will be how many jobs it will have created by the next election. The true test of this bill will be how wages have fared. The true test will be the level of industrial disputation.

I believe that elements of this bill will damage our economy and hurt ordinary workers. This overreach by the Deputy Prime Minister in her search for the Labor leadership will be a mistake that will haunt her and her party in the future. Worst of all, it will hurt those Australians who will miss out on an opportunity to get a job and an opportunity to make more of their future. This side of the House will always stand for jobs; that side of the House will always stand for big union power.

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