Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

For the record, the Democrats and I do support flexibility. We recognise that employment arrangements vary by enterprise. That is why we support enterprise bargaining. We recognise that employment arrangements vary by particular individual agreements as well. So we do support flexibility. What the opposition are trying to do, as I understand it, is ensure that ‘fair’ is also ‘full’, and they see a difference between the two. They have not put in a provision to delete all the other tests you have put with respect to compensation, monetary or non-monetary; they have merely said that ‘fair’ does not go far enough and ‘full’ goes further. I have difficulty with both words, as I have said. I prefer the ‘just terms’ sort of approach but I understand what the government is trying to do. But I did want to put on record that we do support flexibility; we always have and we will continue to do so.