Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

With respect, I refer my previous answer to the honourable senator. The situation is that employers and employees in this country are being freed up more and more, as we believe they should be, to be able to make their own personal arrangements. If their arrangement is such as they contract it, both sides are contracted by it. From the other point of view, if work had dropped off and the employer said, ‘I don’t really need these guys to work on public holidays anymore,’ the employer could not have curtailed their entitlement to five weeks annual leave, because that was part of the agreement that the employees were guaranteed. What we have is a good, flexible system that will be expanded under our legislation. (Time expired)