Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Reid for his question. I know that he is a long-time campaigner for fairness in the industrial relations system. When we came to government, we reintroduced fairness through the Fair Work Act. I am asked how this played a role in the resolution of this dispute. It played an important role, but it was the act facilitated by the decisive action of the Prime Minister that got the planes flying again.

This was a situation in which Australia was confronted with a company that, with very little notice and no intention of changing its mind, had determined to ground its entire fleet domestically and internationally, which would have led to the crippling of the Australian economy and the stranding of tens of thousands of passengers around the world. What the government did was take immediate action when it learned of this intention. It took this matter to Fair Work Australia. The matter was convened that night and adjourned the next day so that the case for the impact in terms of the national interest and the economy could be determined. As a result of that adjourned hearing, the industrial action was terminated—not just suspended but terminated. That has now allowed the circumstances in which, over the next three weeks, the parties are required to bargain in good faith to resolve this dispute, and, if that cannot be done, it will be compulsorily arbitrated upon. That is what will happen because of the act and because of the actions by the Prime Minister.

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