Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

The bill doesn't take pay from people; it has the first ever criminal penalties to ensure that people get their money back. Not that long ago, the member for Watson said, 'Vulnerable workers getting their money back quickly has to be the highest priority.' Well, here's the bill that strengthens the civil penalties. Here's the bill that has criminal penalties for wage theft. Here's the bill that sets out a new small claims tribunal. These are all things that they said that they support, all things that the union movement asked for, and now all things that they're opposing.

The bill, in its present form, ensures that people get paid properly and that there are proper offences if they're not paid properly. It ensures that wages will increase. It ensures that jobs will increase. It ensures, just as the member for Watson wanted, that vulnerable workers getting their money back quickly has to be the highest priority. Indeed, it was reported in the media—this morning, I believe—that the Labor Party's opposition to the entirety of the bill was just something that they were willing to do and they would accept there would be some collateral damage. They were the words of a Labor member quoted in the newspaper. So if you're a worker who has been underpaid, if you want the protections in this bill of tougher civil penalties and of a criminal offence against wage theft and if you want a small claims tribunal to get your money back quicker, you are now the Labor Party's collateral damage in their desperate strategic move. (Time expired)

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