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

BURKE (—) (): My response to this amendment is probably quite different to how I've responded to any of the other amendments in that this amendment is actually seeking to do something that I originally requested during the drafting stage of this bill. The explanation that the member for Clark gave of the process and the interaction with the Sex Discrimination Act was a problem that I was presented with, and the reason why we can't support the amendment in this form.

In the first instance, I want to make clear: the government makes no argument of principle in any way against any of the two contributions that were just made by the member for Clark and the member for Brisbane. In the second instance, the intention to get best-practice language here so that people are properly covered is a commitment that is shared by those who've spoken with the government.

Before I knew this amendment was coming—this was during the drafting stages—as soon as I hit this problem of the interaction with the Sex Discrimination Act I raised the issue personally with the Attorney-General, because it was the Attorney-General's Department that had raised it with my department. The intention was made clear to me then, by the Attorney-General, that the government does intend to bring in legislation that will deal with this issue across all relevant legislation at once. Being able to do that avoids any problems with the different parts of legislation not interacting properly.

It's a strange one in terms of saying that we won't support the amendment but it's on the basis that we accept completely the arguments that have been put, and want to be able to bring forward government legislation that addresses it consistently across all relevant acts.

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