Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I indicate coalition support for this but remind honourable senators that the position the Greens would seek to adopt with 21 days is to reinstitute that which appeared in certain legislation which they have had great fun in condemning. That terrible piece of legislation in fact allowed for 21 days to file for unfair dismissal, and the government went to the election on a promise of only seven days. I dare say we will not be hearing from the Australian Greens that this is a huge mandate that the government has got in relation to the number, as we heard in relation to the number that was supposed to apply to a small business. It is very interesting that numbers are vitally important and are subject to a mandate if they happen to agree with them. But if they do not agree with them, the mandate is out the window and, of course, it is the good sense of the Greens and Senator Xenophon and other people that we can then come to a compromise.

As I said in relation to the debate on the small business number, I think that the government would have had us snookered if they had been insisting on the totality of their mandate. But when they started to shift ground then of course the doors were opened. When we were in government, we as a government at all times thought that 21 days was the appropriate figure. It is great to see Senator Siewert and the Australian Greens embracing that figure and giving the former Howard government a big tick on that and in fact inviting the government to breach its election promise on numbers. However, I have had my two or three minutes of fun pointing these matters out and I indicate that we will be supporting the government’s amendment.