Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Fisher. It is a pleasure to be able to get up and talk about industrial relations, and certainly about the transition to a fair and less complex industrial relations system. Can I say to Senator Fisher that we are extremely proud of the work we are doing in award modernisation. It is an area that had been left on the backburner by the previous government for far too long and it is real reform. It is reform that business has actually been asking about—streamlining awards and ensuring less complex features.

The transition will take place over five years, and there has been a great deal of discussion and consultation with the catering and restaurant industry; there is no doubt there has been a great deal of discussion and consultation with them. They have raised a number of issues in their operations concerning overtime and night shifts, and the Deputy Prime Minister has taken that on board and has asked the Industrial Relations Commission to have a look at those issues, which they are doing. There are certainly other issues in the areas you raise, and I am sure the follow-on question will be about other areas that the government will also be looking at—horticulture, retail and pharmacy. These areas are under examination by the government because we are about providing flexible, streamlined awards that actually provide fairness to workers but at the same time provide certainty to employers.