Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition believes that these amendments are reasonably uncontroversial. Importantly, they actually pick up and fix some of the problems that we and others have identified within this bill, and particularly ones that were raised during the Senate inquiry.

We have flagged previously that there would be problems with union demarcation disputes and a return to the days of turf wars from the Fair Work Act. This will undoubtedly be the case, as we see a return to the bad old days of unions fighting amongst themselves, disrupting workplaces, adversely affecting productivity and making workplaces a battleground. Clearly that is a bad outcome for Australian employers and employees. The government has now realised the problem it has created and they have tried to fix it by making clear that a dispute no longer has to exist as a precondition to obtaining a union representation order. This mirrors what the coalition wanted to do, but of course they did not go as far as our amendment, and, sadly, this bill will be worse off for it.

Amendments are also made by the government clarifying concerns raised about the ability to commence enterprise instrument modernisation before modern awards commence in 2010, again rectifying a deficiency. Provisions dealing with the transfer of staff from institutions under the existing system to the new superb bureaucracy of Fair Work Australia are also sensible, notwithstanding the mammoth size, model of inefficiency and confusion that Fair Work Australia is destined to become. There are other technical matters that the Deputy Prime Minister addressed. I do not intend to go into them. The opposition will not be opposing these amendments and the business of the House can proceed.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

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