Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Obviously, I do not know what has been said to that particular company, but I can say that independent contractors have long been a feature of the Australian workplace. It is not as if this is something new. It is not as if independent contractors just appeared after the Work Choices legislation was passed.

Independent contractors have a very valuable place and role to play in the Australian economy. Let me give an example. The domestic house-building industry in Australia is probably the most efficient in the world. It runs almost entirely on independent contractors. A brickie comes in and does the brickwork, a chippie comes in and does the carpentry and a tiler comes in and does the tiling work. It works for the house-building industry and it works for the contractors. It has given Australia one of the best systems in the world. It existed before Work Choices. Independent contractors add enormously to the Australian economy.

See this speech in context