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baffled by what that means post-corporatisation. They would clearly understand that, from their point of view, their strongest bargaining position is to get it out of the road before we go into the corporate arrangement. It is like what the spider said to the fly: “Come into my parlour”. When they get you in there the door snaps shut and you have had it. The Government is setting out to cut off employees from the Government's wages position.

Mr De Domenico: What page of the manifesto is this coming from?

MR BERRY: I like this. Mr De Domenico asked, “What page of the manifesto does this come from?”. Mr De Domenico, this comes from an area of consistency on industrial relations, fair play and truth - that is, you lay it on the trade union movement truthfully, otherwise you will receive a negative response. If you read that letter, it is a negative response.

Mr De Domenico: No, it is not.

MR BERRY: It is. It says that the TLC “accepts in principle the corporatisation”. It goes on to say:

However, the TLC position is that the date of corporatisation of ACTEW coincide with the registration of a new enterprise bargaining agreement; and negotiated conclusion of current residual issues which go to the terms and conditions of employment.

I say to you that, if you are fair dinkum about earning the support of the TLC, you ought to be supporting the amendment which has been moved by Mr Whitecross, because it really goes to that very important issue of delay until the unions are able to sort out that enterprise bargaining arrangement.

I appeal to Mr Osborne on this score because I know that he placed a great deal of weight on the unions' position in coming to his own position in relation to the corporatisation of ACTEW. I think there is a very strong case for delaying the effect of the corporatisation Bill until that unanswered question about the enterprise bargaining agreement and the residual issues is resolved. If you do not allow those things to be resolved before the effective date of the important parts of this legislation, I think the unions will regard themselves as being treated unfairly. I think it is a very important issue, to be frank. I think the unions expect, in return for their in-principle position, that some support should go to giving them the flexibility - if I can use a term often used by the Liberals - to negotiate their enterprise bargaining agreement before corporatisation starts. Trust them, Mr De Domenico. That would be something new. These are the people who are going to have to work in this business, so you ought to trust them and delay.

MR SPEAKER: Order! The member’s time has expired.

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