Bob Day (SA, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will not say that they are wrong, but I am sure the minister and the government would concede that their judgement might be a little bit out on this threshold number. This is important legislation. Do not get me wrong, Minister. I commend the government on this, and I particularly commend the business minister for his diligence, for the way he has consulted and for the way he has gone about it. But the same logic applies that you are using, Minister. You are saying, 'Let's see how a $100,000 limit goes and we will review it.' We are saying, 'Our opinion, based on more informed research, is that it should be at least a $500,000 limit. Let's see how that goes.' You say that your $100,000 limit captures 80 per cent of business. What is wrong with trying to capture 90 per cent or even 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99 per cent? I think the same logic applies.

The principle of this legislation is to introduce a threshold so that a contract entered into up to a certain amount could be rejected because of a difference of opinion between the government and its advisers and a number of contractors. I would implore the minister to talk to his counterpart in the other place. If it came down that this place suggested that our view is that $500,000 needs to be the threshold to encompass as many independent contractors and other contractors as possible, I would implore the minister to support that.