That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations from immediately explaining to the House the full consequences for the long service leave entitlements of 60,000 Victorian nurses arising from the Government’s extreme industrial relations changes, something he failed to do yesterday in Question Time, in that:

(1)   the Government proposes to remove long service leave entitlements as an allowable matter from awards;

(2)   the Government’s rationale for removing long service leave is that long service leave is covered by State legislation;

(3)   60,000 Victorian nurses currently benefit as a result of award provisions from 26 weeks of long service leave for 15 years service;

(4)   Victorian legislation provides 13 weeks long service leave entitlements for 15 years service;

(5)   the removal of long service leave entitlement as an allowable matter halves the long service leave entitlement of Victorian nurses; and

(6)   this is well known to the Minister, who has previously admitted just that on Melbourne radio, something he failed or refused to detail to the House in Question Time yesterday.