Ms JULIE BISHOP —My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. Minister, junior wage rates have been a feature of the Australian work environment for decades. Could you inform the House what action the government has taken to ensure that this will continue to be the case?

Mr REITH (Workplace Relations and Small Business) —I thank the member for Curtin for her question. I am delighted to advise the House that legislation now passed through the House of Representatives has permanently exempted junior wage rates from antidiscrimination laws. After fighting this fight now for six years, we have finally achieved our objective: we have finally overturned one of the great mistakes of the Labor administration and finally achieved job security for hundreds of thousands of young people, marking the culmination of a fantastic campaign which we have run in the interests of jobs for young people. Not only have we now reversed six years of Labor policy, but also for the first time in the history of workplace relations law we have introduced a requirement that the commission, in varying, changing or introducing awards, take into account the need for young people to have jobs and the consequences for young people of youth unemployment. For the first time in the industrial relations system in this country, we have taken the outsiders of the system and given them an official voice in the inside of the system. We have not only reversed six years of Labor policy back to 1993 but, with the introduction of these objects, we now have a better legislative system than that which Australia enjoyed in 1993.

Further, we have also enabled the commission to introduce into awards, in industries where they do not currently apply, the system of age based junior rates. The job consequences of that are tremendous for young people, preserving their jobs but also improving their prospects for jobs in the future. This morning, in congratulating the government and enthusiastically endorsing this bill, the Australian Retailers Association said:

Had this agreement between the government and the ALP not taken place, young jobs in Australia's largest industry—the retail industry—which employs 50 per cent of the Australian youth work force, would have been devastated.

The association's research showed that up to 200,000 jobs would have been at risk had the prohibition on junior rates come into force in June next year. The ACCI, speaking on behalf of employers generally, said:

The employment position of young people is already precarious and their employment prospects require strong protection. The agreement reached will provide this protection.

This is a great achievement of the Howard government, really making practical reforms for the benefit of young people. Never let it be forgotten that when the Labor Party voted against a bill very similar to that which has gone through today—when they voted against the same provisions, when they voted against having objects in the act to protect young people—the Leader of the Opposition, on 9 March 1999, said:

Now, we had a great victory in the Senate yesterday on one of those things and we're really rather chuffed about it.

You might have been chuffed then, but the fact is—and I give credit where credit is due—

Mr Howard —You have always been like that.

Mr REITH —I have always been like that. Thank you, Prime Minister. The opposition will take a heap from the trade union movement. Dougie Cameron is withdrawing $350,000 from you. You are going to cop a lot of flak for reversing your position. You at least had the guts to do what had to be done, but it was only ever done because this government put political pressure on you. Mr Speaker, they were steamrollered by the Industrial Relations Commission. It completely flattened them. This is a great victory for young people.