Senator JACINTA COLLINS (10:17 AM) —In this matter, I can at this stage foreshadow that the Labor Party have circulated amendments to the amendments we understand the Australian Democrats will be moving. Let me firstly deal with the issue of picnic days. The Labor Party, whilst expressing the opinion that we would have preferred to oppose this bill outright, can accept the intention of the Democrats to excise the picnic days provisions from what ultimately might survive in this bill. We support those Democrat amendments, which have been foreshadowed through their circulation in the chamber, in removing references in the bill that relate to picnic days. The Democrats are essentially trying to make the best of an otherwise bad lot.

As I canvassed in my speech in the second reading debate, the removal of picnic days from allowable award matters is essentially a petty and vindictive ideological act rather than a substantive policy achievement by this government. It has no saving graces whatsoever. From the evidence we have received, it would simply add confusion and unnecessary work and it would pointlessly waste the resources of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and the industrial parties. I might now give Senator Murray the opportunity to deal with the Democrat amendments with respect to tallies. I will then foreshadow the Labor Party's proposed amendments to the amendments circulated by the Democrats on tallies.