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

The Rudd government was elected to kill Work Choices and that is exactly what we have done. We have passed three acts: the first stopped hated AWAs and commenced award modernisation; the second created the Fair Work system; and the third dealt with transitional and consequential issues. Interviewed on Sky TV in March last year, the Deputy Prime Minister said:

Australian workers are better off now and we have abolished the laws that enabled the making of award-stripping AWAs the most hated bit of Work Choices.

As part of our reforms we are modernising the award system, replacing literally thousands of awards with 130 simple, modern awards. And every step of the way we are protecting the interests of employees and employers. In line with protecting those interests, the AIRC has struck a balance from the diverse arrangements that apply and have developed awards from the existing conditions and community standards with wide application in the relevant industry. The commission is utilising the scheme we laid out in the Fair Work legislation to make sure there is a measured and orderly transition to modern awards. We have provided a full five-year phase-in period so that employers and employees would gradually move from old state awards to a new modern award. The commission is using that period.