Australian Workplace Agreements

A supplementary question put forward to the Hon. P. HOLLOWAY regarding Australian Workplace Agreements.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I ask a supplementary question. If the minister does not know the answer can he bring back a response? What proportion of jobs growth has arisen from AWAs in South Australia and how many are there?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: I do not know the answer, but a statistic repeated frequently by the federal Leader of the Opposition, Kevin Rudd, is that workplace productivity has been falling since the introduction of the Howard government’s WorkChoices legislation. Productivity has been falling under WorkChoices—a statistic that the federal leader has been pointing out for some time. The Australian Labor Party is a strong supporter of increased productivity growth, and we need an industrial relations system that enables strong productivity growth because that is how the conditions of Australian workers will be protected. In relation to the other matter, if I can get any information I will seek to do so.