Anyone familiar with contract law knows the three decisions relevant to the concept of agreeing to consult or negotiate:
- Coal Cliff Collieries v Sijehama Pty Ltd (1991) 24 NSWLR 1,
- Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney South West Area Health Service [2010] NSWCA 268, and
- United Group Rail Services Limited v Rail Corporation [2009] NSWSCA 177.
None of them relate to agreeing to reach or conclude an agreement, that is simply not enforceable, and no amount of handwaving or "anything is possible if you put your mind to it" pie-in-the-sky thinking will change that.
More specifically with regards to EBAs, the pre-requisites and process for getting to PIA are well documented in the Act. "Statements of Intent" aren't contemplated under the Act. Again, handwaving is not going to change that.
I don't know how much attention the various union negotiating teams pay to pprune.org, but the contact details for each of the relevant unions shouldn't be too hard to find. Be sure to let us know what sort of response you get from them.