Senator MURRAY (9:56 AM) —Paragraph (a) of opposition amendment No. 4 ensures that a senior person or relatively senior person within the organisation has responsibility for developing and implementing the appropriate workplace program. That is important to ensure that the program is given due weight and support within the organisation. If it were not passed, there is the potential for an organisation to delegate responsibility for equal opportunity to a person with a junior role without the proper support of the organisation. It gives the right signal.

Paragraph (b) requires consultation with the relevant trade unions in the development and implementation of workplace programs—of course only if the unions are available for that purpose. Paragraph (c) requires consultation with employees, particularly women if they are there. We support requirements for consultation with women employees as they are best placed in the enterprise to know how their employer treats women and what else can be done to promote equal opportunity on a reasonable basis. It is the reasonable basis which should always be pursued. I cannot imagine the agency supporting any unreasonable approach.

Overall, we think this amendment improves the development and implementation of workplace programs under the act. We support it.