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

That is correct. If I may add to the debate: the great weakness of the regime pre Work Choices was the lack of a regulator to ensure that duress was properly policed. That was the greatest problem. One of the very significant advances made by Work Choices and reinforced by Labor policy is the decision to have a much stronger regulatory regime for workplace relations nationally. If any good has come out of all those events, it is an understanding that, without strong regulations and a strong regulator who can enforce the law, you actually cannot ensure fairness, particularly when it is a question of an individual employer and an individual employee with no other witness at their negotiation. So I would confirm the law on duress was there and was improved subsequently with the provision of a decent regulator. Through the chair: Minister, I hope that, under your substantive bill and in your policy to come, your regulator will be even stronger and even more capable of ensuring as much fairness and fair play in industrial relations as possible.

Question negatived.