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

Let us recall that under the Work Choices legislation, certainly as it was originally passed, you did not have a no disadvantage test against the award. What we have are the 10 legislated minimum National Employment Standards as well as a commitment to a modernised award system. As I said in answer to Senator Fisher, we on this side can guarantee that our system will be balanced and fair and we can guarantee that there is nothing about the operation of Labor’s workplace relations system which will disadvantage employees. As has previously been said by the Deputy Prime Minister, I can guarantee that every employee in the federal system will be protected by our 10 legislated minimum standards, something that could never ever be delivered and could never be guaranteed under your government.