PRIME MINISTER:
Well the joint party meeting took place and has approved the Government's amendments to the workplace relations legislation. Those amendments deal with a number of matters, they don't in anyway change the substance of the legislation but they give some clarity in a number of areas, they adopt in overwhelming measure the recommendations of the Senate Committee, they have a provision in relation to public holidays and a provision in relation to a number of other matters - there're actually quite a lot of amendments but most of them are of procedural kind. But those amendments have been approved and the legislation I understand will proceed to a Second Reading vote in the Senate tomorrow and thereafter enter the committee stages.
On the counter-terrorism bill, the party room has endorsed the Government's changes. There are a number of changes. The sedition provisions will remain - although there are a couple of amendments in relation to them and there are some other amendments, particularly picking up a lot of the recommendations that came out of the Senate Committee.
So overall in both of those areas which are obviously important and challenging pieces of legislation, the Government has been able to accept some amendments but in no way has the Government compromised the thrust of either pieces of legislation and also a number of changes in relation to the Welfare-to-Work bill have also been approved by the party room. So it's been a very productive, a very positive and a very valuable joint party meeting and we'll now be proceeding to put each piece of legislation to further parliamentary process.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard are you confident the IR bill will now pass the Senate? And how do you feel about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I am a cautious man as you know and I always respect the democratic processes of the Upper House. I'm hopeful that it will go through. I'll have something to say if my hope is fulfilled.
JOURNALIST:
Is it a case of Barnaby Joyce getting his way?
PRIME MINISTER:
It's a case of sensible amendments that don't in anyway violate the principles of the bill and that was the framework of dealing with it that I laid down weeks ago and that has been observed.
JOURNALIST:
Just on the sedition issue. There was a lot of concerns raised about that from several of your backbenchers, were there concerns raised in the Party Room that some of them might in fact cross the floor given that you will...
PRIME MINISTER:
I expect, let me put it in my usually cautious manner, I am hopeful that the legislation will go through the Senate.
JOURNALIST:
What are the changes to the Welfare-to-Work bill?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh there are some changes in relation to particularly categories of people being exempt and I think they've been fairly extensively canvassed in the media.
Thank you.
[ends]