Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Xenophon, as I understand it, is not talking about an existential crisis on greenfield agreements. I also want to go back to the evaluation by the panel. On page 82, in the second paragraph under 4.6.6 the panel says:

The Panel accepts that the Work Choices framework conferred greater freedom on employers to unilaterally determine wages and conditions. It is less clear that the economically relevant outcomes are very different. For example, the Panel was not presented with evidence that any significant project had not proceeded for want of an agreement.

It then goes on to talk about wage gaps which, when you read the detail, are negligible. The issue that Senator Xenophon raises about the problems with these agreements have not shown up in reality. My question to the minister is: how many greenfield agreements have not proceeded because of failure to get agreement with the unions?