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

It is good that we have moved on to people who are of legal age because I think we dealt with the under-18-year-olds very effectively. In relation to 18-year-olds and over, in those circumstances the Workplace Authority Director would indicate to the parties how a perceived unfairness in the agreement might be overcome. Also, as I have previously read out, clause 346M(6) states:

In deciding whether a workplace agreement passes, or does not pass, the fairness test, the Workplace Authority Director may inform himself or herself in any way he or she considers appropriate including (but not limited to) contacting the employer and the employee, or some or all of the employees, whose employment is subject to the workplace agreement.

So the authority would indicate to the employee what the deficiencies are and how they might be overcome. That is the extra safety net that we are providing to Australian workers. It is a safety net that, I might add, is not in common-law agreements. I note that the Australian Labor Party does not seem to require that for common-law agreements. That is an interesting observation given Senator Joyce’s intervention, which I will not engage on any further. But I do acknowledge what he is getting at.