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

With all of this, there are some of those tensions that exist when the government is in a clear position and has negotiated and where a state has referred, such as in Victoria. It is quite clear where states have not referred and are in the process of negotiation. A lot of that will crystallise at that point. The short answer is that these are matters that will be worked through, because we are driving for certainty in the fair work legislation. Minister Gillard has raised this issue at the Workplace Relations Ministers Council. All states are aware of the need to resolve these issues to ensure that there is certainty for employees. The opening statements I made about the legislation equally apply to the whole of the chamber—I was not simply having a discussion of the legislation with the opposition. I thank the Greens for participating in the debate this evening. The Greens have been extremely helpful in providing certainty under the Fair Work Bill. They joined in the committee system and provided, though not a majority report, helpful assistance to the committee in its minority report. I understand that the Greens and the government have been able to work through a range of issues, and we thank the Greens for coming to the table in a positive light—unlike the opposition—in respect of many of the provisions of the Fair Work Bill.