Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Again, I make the point that it is entirely open to an individual employer to reach an agreement with the relevant union and their workers at a single enterprise level. Part of the problem that we've seen, which the government is responding to, is that the bargaining system that we have inherited—as a new government—is so broken that it is either unworkable for employers and their workforce to reach a single enterprise bargain or for one reason or another, involving power imbalances and other factors, that just doesn't happen. It is always open to a single enterprise to reach agreement with their workforce. And, yes, both parties have to agree. That's what a bargain is. If you have an employer who is unreasonably refusing to bargain with their employees, then this legislation does provide other options. Similarly, if you have a group of employees who are unreasonably withholding their consent to bargain, then there are options for employers. That's the balanced system that we're putting in place.