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

We have been working with employers—big business, small business and medium-sized business—to ensure that this is done in a very responsible and methodical fashion, because these issues are extremely complex. I assume that is why the Liberal Party decided not to deal with them for their 12 years in government. They claim to be the champions of reform. They claim to be the champions of microeconomic reform but when they had the chance to act they failed. 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. I am happy to say that the AIRC has adopted— (Time expired)