Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As I said earlier, at the Senate inquiry employers, employees and unions indicated that they did not think that the conditional termination provisions would be effective. I must admit I cannot see them being effective either, particularly for that group of workers we are talking about who are most vulnerable. I know the minister will have seen the research that showed that the workers most affected by Work Choices were our most vulnerable workers in the community. They are the ones who have been subjected to no bargaining and unfair AWAs and have lost the most wages and conditions. You are talking about a group of people who are in situations where their employers are highly unlikely to use the conditional termination provisions. So I am asking why the government thinks the provisions are going to be effective when employers, employees and unions have indicated that they do not think they are going to be effective. A lot of this depends on that provision being effective. I would really like to know why the government thinks these provisions are going to be effective, particularly for that group of our most vulnerable workers.