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

TT (—) (): Thank you again, Senator Pocock. This is an issue that's very important to me on a personal level as well, because I've met many workers in my career both here in the parliament and previously as a lawyer for workers and for unions who have really experienced this form of job insecurity, and it makes it really hard for people not only to pay their bills but also to enjoy their family life and have other commitments as well. So these are really important issues.

Our workplace laws need to respond to the changing composition of our workforce, with more working carers at work and more women in all forms of employment. That's why we've introduced new objects in the act and in modern award objectives. The bill adds both job security and gender equality into the objects of the Fair Work Act, and the Fair Work Commission must take these into account when performing its functions or exercising powers. In addition, the objects of job security and gender equality are included in the modern awards objective. We will also strengthen the bargaining system so that employers and employees can negotiate mutually beneficial rostering arrangements and systems.

Security of working time and appropriate rostering are essential components of job security. Predictable working time and a say over rostering is very important to working carers, as your question suggests. And given that so many carers are women, this also makes it a gender equality question. The important changes made by the bill will strengthen and clarify the Fair Work Commission's capacity across all its functions, including in relation to modern awards, to address the work-life collision, including issues such as rostering, predictable shifts, employee agreement to and say over changes in rosters, and arrangements in relation to the minimum length of shifts and rates of pay for extra hours worked.