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

It does seem that you have at least heard part of the answer to the question but not the full part of it. The government has urged the AIRC to utilise and set out transitional arrangements because it is imperative that parties have sufficient time to become familiar with the content of modern awards before their commencement on 1 January 2010. As I stated in the supplementary submission to the AIRC, it is also particularly important in light of the global financial crisis, with businesses requiring certainty regarding their costs. That is why this government has put forward a plan to ensure that there are transitional arrangements and there is the full five years. We urge the AIRC to use those to be able to deal with it. I am sorry that the opposition wants to make faces about this. This is a serious matter. It is unfortunate that the opposition does not understand the global financial crisis impacts upon us across the economy. (Time expired)