Bob Day (SA, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

Or Ballarat in Victoria. We can keep alliterating all afternoon, if we like, but I think that I have made my point.

I think that this is really, really important. I think that the government have missed the boat on this. I do not think that they quite realise just how important it is. When you set up a new enterprise or a new project on a new greenfields site, the unique circumstances of a particular geographical region are so important, whether it is a canning factory or a petrochemical plant in Shepparton—and I will start with the S names, if you like! My home state of South Australia does not have the cost of living and cost base of a project in, say, Western Sydney. New projects will be locked out of my home state of South Australia. New greenfields projects will not be able to compete and they will not be able to set up, because they will be locked into an industry-wide EBA, which they will have to pick off the shelf from somewhere else. Yes, you can make submissions to the Fair Work Commission and start hacking away at an existing enterprise bargaining agreement from somewhere else, but we all know what happens there. My proposal is that, for a new site, you will start with a new EBA. I thank the minister and the shadow minister for their contributions. I commend my amendment to the Senate.

The CHAIRMAN: The question is that amendments (1) and (2) on sheet 7577 be agreed to.