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

It might be difficult to understand, but maybe I am saying it badly—I accept that. The request was made under the existing workplace relations legislation, under section 576C(1), and it continues under the transitional provisions. So the transitional provisions have now been tabled and it will continue under that. It was important to get the commission working on getting modern awards in place. I am sure we all agree with that. It is about ensuring that modern awards can be dealt with, because what we also did very early in the piece was remove AWAs. Unlike the previous government, you may not have agreed with them. In fact, I am told even by the opposition now that Work Choices is dead. But what you did when in government was to strip conditions, strip wages and strip shift loadings, penalty loadings and holiday pay away from people. That is what you did, and you did it not once but many, many times. I do not want to go and rustle up your old bones and have a look at them, but you should own them and recognise they are your bones, not ours.