Mr NEVILLE (2:31 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the minister advise the House of the impact of the government’s industrial relations reforms on families in rural and regional Australia?

Mr TRUSS (Minister for Transport and Regional Services) —Certainly people who live in rural and regional Australia—40 per cent of Australian families—want an industrial relations system that is flexible and able to provide particular benefits and tailored agreements to meet their needs. The employment agreements that can meet the individual circumstances of families that perhaps have to travel long distances will obviously have significant benefits in rural and regional areas. Families want flexibility, small business wants flexibility and we have just heard that unions want flexibility. The only people that do not want flexibility, it seems, are the members opposite. They want a staid, rules driven industrial relations system that cannot allow businesses to take advantage of their opportunities or families to negotiate an arrangement which enables them to have the very best possible lifestyle.

WorkChoices will provide the real opportunity for families to negotiate a family friendly working arrangement. It will give them opportunities in relation to appropriate leave and family friendly arrangements, including personal and carers leave whenever that is necessary for their families. That is the kind of flexibility that it seems members opposite think is inappropriate. And, what is more, they do not want the public to hear about it. They do not want the truth, they do not want anything said about what is being proposed in this legislation and they do not want the public to be given information. All they want is to have distorted trade union campaigns endeavouring to tear apart these changed arrangements. Families that live in rural and regional Australia that might have to travel long distances may well choose a working arrangement that gives them the opportunity to work for longer hours and then have longer periods off. That is the kind of thing that unions are happy to negotiate on behalf of their members, but Labor opposite wants to put an end to that kind of thing.

The strong economic performance that we have seen in Australia, the growth in our economy since the first tranche of industrial relations reform in 1996, ought to really be an inspiration for us to go further at this stage. The honourable member for Hinkler has noted in his own area the extraordinary drop in unemployment and the growth in business. We are in adjoining electorates and for many years we have had amongst the highest unemployment rates in the country. It is magnificent to see the drop in unemployment over recent times. That is very much about having a growing economy that is built on a flexible workplace. It is important that Labor should set aside its opposition to this proposed flexible new system. They boasted when they were in government how they kept wages down. We want a system that provides an opportunity for people to earn more in circumstances that fit their own family needs and also, as a result, to build strong and progressive businesses, because the progress and development of our country is very much dependent upon having a very successful business environment.