Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Consultation included alliances such as Migrant Women in Business, the Harmony Alliance: Migrant and Refugee Women for Change, the National Rural Women's Coalition, Woman with Disabilities Australia and the YWCA Canberra.

Then, for introduction, we had the committee on industrial legislation, including the Business Council of Australia, the Housing Industry Association, the National Farmers Federation, the Master Builders, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Australian Industry Group and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I will acknowledge that Steve Knott from AMMA was not there at that meeting, but he was invited and didn't turn up.

We then had the consultation which has occurred since the introduction of the bill, which I've spoken about publicly before, including with the BCA, Ai Group, COSBOA, ACCI and individual employers, again, including Woolworths. We then have the process that continues with the Senate inquiry. Those opposite have been critical of the Senate inquiry process, which is more thorough than what happened for the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2021. It's more thorough, in fact, than any legislation, and I've got the list here: their respect at work bill; their registered organisations, ensuring integrity bill; their proper use of worker benefits bill; their casual conversion bill; their pay protection bill; their four-yearly reviews and other measures; their corrupting benefits bill—the list goes on. It is the most consultative process that has happened for a decade.

Those opposite simply have to acknowledge, in every criticism they have, that what they did was less. So except for all the consultation that happened before introduction, all the consultation that's happened since introduction and all the consultation that will continue—apart from all that, absolutely nothing.

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