Senator CHRIS EVANS (Western Australia—Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:20): I do not intend to respond to the quoted criticisms that Senator Ronaldson makes. We have a very robust democracy and I accept that that comes with the job. But I say to him that it is a fact that at no stage did Qantas raise with the government before that Saturday afternoon that they were contemplating a lockout of their employees, the most dramatic action that they could take; the equivalent of a general long-term strike by all employees against an employer. There was no warning given to the government that they were considering that option. When they advised us I was shocked that they would take that action. Senator Ronaldson: The grounding or the lockout? Senator CHRIS EVANS: The lockout. They had been public about their concerns about the impacts of the action on them but at no stage prior to Saturday afternoon did they raise the possibility of a lockout.