Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Murray, I appreciate the point you are making. I am not sure there is a simple answer, because this is a large task. I do not think the government has shied away from the fact that modernising awards is a significant task—hence the inclusion of this draft request in the EM which enables some of these issues to be discussed. If Senator Murray has a suggestion about how he would indicate a resolution of that at the outset of the process, I would certainly be interested in hearing it. It does seem to the government—as I indicated—that this is an issue that the commission will need to consider in this process, and will need to balance the various objects that are proposed in the request. Chair, I understand that government amendments have been circulated, so I table a supplementary explanatory memorandum relating to the government amendments to be moved to this bill. I understand that the memorandum was circulated in the chamber today.