Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for the question. The government's workplace reforms include common sense amendments to greenfields projects, the projects that have not yet started and where there are no employees as yet. Sadly, we have seen huge projects with the potential to create thousands of job opportunities for Australian stalled by the tactics of some union bosses. For example, the Kipper Tuna Turrum oil rig project in the Bass Strait, which would have provided jobs for Tasmanians and Victorians; the BHP project in Queensland; and POAGS in Western Australia have all been stalled by union boss tactics. The government's reforms introduce common-sense, good-faith bargaining requirements to greenfield negotiations.

This will mean that brand new, often multibillion-dollar projects—that will employ thousands of workers—can get off the ground while still ensuring that workers are better off overall, as determined by the Fair Work Commission.