John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek the indulgence of the chair to add to an answer.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister may proceed.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a question that was asked by the opposition, so I thought they would be interested. It was the question relating to the Tristar employees. This is the advice I have received from my office and it has come from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. The Tristar employees are employed under a pre-Work Choices union negotiated collective agreement. Under those rules, if the company had sought to terminate the agreement, it would need to be terminated under the rules applied in the pre-Work Choices legislation, and that is a decision of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission will agree to the termination only if it is in the public interest to do so under the old rules. I might also add that it should be remembered that that company is in financial difficulties because of the behaviour during the 2000-03 industrial campaigns of the relevant union. In other words, this really does not have any thing to do with Work Choices.