Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Carol Brown for her question and note her interest in the role of the government’s new workplace relations system in these difficult economic times. The new workplace relations framework delivers on the promises set out by the Rudd government at the election. We were given a clear mandate by the Australian people to get rid of Work Choices and that is exactly what we are doing—implementing a fair and balanced workplace relations system based on collective bargaining, underpinned by a strong safety net. The government’s workplace relations framework was designed to be the right policy for the good economic times and for the difficult economic times, to balance flexibility and fairness. The Fair Work policy was not designed for one set of economic circumstances. The elements of flexibility and good faith mean that it is responsive to the needs of business, at the same time providing a safety net for working people.

There could not be a worse time for Work Choices—no safety net, no security, no provisions to assist those who are low paid. Work Choices is what the Liberal opposition still thinks is alive and well. Work Choices allowed basic pay and conditions to be stripped away and meant that an employee could be sacked for no reason, without any entitlement to redundancy. Let us be very clear: the impact of the global financial crisis is hurting Australian businesses and, therefore, hurting Australian jobs. Far from destroying jobs, the Fair Work framework’s primary focus on collective agreements at the enterprise level will, of course, promote greater flexibility and deliver higher productivity. (Time expired)