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

Minister, I do not understand why you would need to verbal anyone in relation to this matter. The question being asked is simple. To stand up and to verbal me and the Labor Party, saying that we do not support good faith bargaining, I do not think does you much credit. In reality, the issue is that the problem is not the good faith bargaining principle; the problem is the interaction of good faith bargaining with your flawed process and your bill that would impede proper bargaining and would impede unions having a fair go in the negotiations. Your principle provides a benefit and an added support to the employer over the union bargaining group. We support good faith bargaining—I want to make that clear.

We have now traversed these issues for some period of time. I understand there are other amendments. I would like to get through our amendments, but I would like to place on record that we support good faith bargaining. We think good faith bargaining is impeded by the bad process you have introduced in this bill.