Ms WORTH —My question is directed to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Is the minister aware of the findings of the Senate committee majority report on the workplace relations bill and can he inform the House of any contribution it has made to the debate on reform in the Australian workplace and the future of Australian workers?

Mr REITH —I have seen the majority report which has been tabled in the Senate today together with a supplementary report and a dissenting report from the Liberal senators. Obviously I was very interested in the development of this Senate committee's deliberations. I do not think there is any doubt that in its majority report the Senate committee was entirely predictable. Also I do not think there is any doubt that the majority report will go down as one of the most forgettable pieces of ALP memorabilia that we have ever seen. In fact, one would have to say it was a circus for the four Labor members on that Senate committee to put together this report, which was basically a joint effort with the ACTU. In fact, so joint an effort was it that Tim Pallas, the assistant secretary of the ACTU, effectively launched their report for them today in a committee room in this very parliament.

There is no surprise in the fact that there should be such close collaboration on this, given the fact that the four members on the ALP committee spent something like 50 years in the trade union movement between them. So interrelated are the Senate majority Labor committee members and the ACTU that at one point in time one of the Labor members on the committee wrote a submission as a union member and submitted it to himself on the committee.

The farce continues, however, because he was then bumped off the committee for Senator Sherry. Last night I heard Senator Sherry talking about the complaints and concerns that he as a member of the committee had heard from thousands and thousands of workers in terms of the implications of this bill. I was very interested to hear this from Senator Sherry because the committee—and particularly the Liberal senators—certainly did the hard yards when it came to going around Australia and hearing what people had to say about this particular bill. Could you say that Senator Sherry had done the hard yards when in fact during the committee hearings he had two weeks in Bali? He was not doing the hard yards; he was doing the soft sand in Bali. The majority committee report is absolutely dead in the water and caps off what has been rather a bad week for the Labor Party.

Mr Costello —A shocker! An absolute shocker!

Mr REITH —A shocker, and I have a feeling it will be even more shocking by the time we have heard from the Leader of the Opposition tonight. Just to cap off a bad week for the Labor Party, the majority recommends that the bill be scrapped. The Labor Party is totally opposed to the bill. The Democrats—in very sensible and measured remarks made by Senator Murray on radio this afternoon—made the point that they would like to see the passage of the bill but of course with some amendments.

In respect of some of the amendments, whilst there are a number of genuine issues to be debated with the Democrats, I do welcome the direction in policy and their approach as generally enunciated by them today on some aspects of the policy. I welcome the fact, as they have said before, that they want to scrap Laurie Brereton's unfair dismissal scheme. As soon as this bill gets through the Senate and we scrap your scheme, Laurie, the better.

I was also pleased to hear that the Democrats accepted in principle the concept of Australian workplace agreements. Whilst there may be much more to be said about that process on their point, I do at least acknowledge the sense that we have come some way in acknowledging that basic principle. I also welcome the Democrat senator stating unequivocally today that they will support the concept of voluntary unionism, the abolition of compulsory unionism and the abolition of the privilege clauses which you put in to look after your mates. That will be one of the many good features of this legislation. I also welcome the Democrat senator suggesting in his remarks that he sees a simplified award system so that workers can actually understand what awards provide them. I thought that was a sensible point to make.

Lastly, I particularly welcome the statement of principles from the Democrats and, in particular, the third principle where they said that, in their consideration of our bill, they are intent on securing the government's fulfilment of the promises we made at the last election. I do not think we can ask more of the Democrats than to provide support for us to keep us honest in the passage of this legislation, which so fairly encompasses the promises we made at the last election. In that regard, in respect of sections 45D and E, a key promise was to return those provisions to the Trade Practices Act. It is an important provision for a balanced and fair industrial relations system. We look forward to constructive discussions with the Democrats in the month ahead.