Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Hansard source

I would refer you to the approach that Labor has set out in its released policy on this, which does look at the simplification and the rationalisation of a range of award conditions. I suppose we are taking a view about what is the best thing to do between now and the election. If Labor were elected, clearly we have a policy in place which would deal with the issues you raise—with what you described as ‘extraneous’ award conditions. Can I indicate also that I neglected to refer in my comments on these amendments to the amendment which deals with one of the provisions dealing with the $75,000 salary threshold, which in part is dealt with by amendment 10, which will be moved later but is also dealt with by amendment 11, which is an amendment to 346E(1)(a), (1)(b) and (1)(c). One of the concerns is in relation to (iii) of subsection (1)(c) and the minister may want to comment. As I read it—it is on page 7 of the bill—this refers to an employee for whom the annual full-time equivalent salary payable is less than $75,000. I assume that means that, if you are on a couple of weeks work or you are on a part-time salary but your full-time equivalent exceeds $75,000, the test does not apply to you. I wonder whether the minister could confirm that, because dealing with that issue was the intention of the amendment.