Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I have no doubt that the honourable member, the honourable Leader of the Opposition, in his capacity as a union leader, did so because he thought, overall, the package was a better deal.

As I have said, and as is the case with Fair Work Australia, plainly workers or their representatives will not agree to changes to penalty rates unless it is in the context of a better overall deal, and that is plainly the case. One Labor member after another, in their days as union officials, has done exactly that. So the fact of the matter is that the honourable member knows that this scare campaign they are trying to run flies in the face of the lived experience of millions of Australian workers who are smart enough to know that, in any industrial agreement, there are gives and takes, and the aim always is to end up with an outcome that is a win-win.

So it is not for us to tell unions—or, indeed, their workers, or employers—how to negotiate agreements. I have no doubt that the honourable Leader of the Opposition or, indeed, the member for Port Adelaide and other members who were union officials when they negotiated these arrangements sought to do so in a way that ensured that workers were better off, employers were better off and overall it was a win-win. That is what flexible workplaces are all about.

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