Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, and I now proceed to speak to my motion, Mr Speaker. Again, for the benefit of all those in the House, what I am moving is: 'That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Manager of Opposition Business from moving that the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency) Bill 2023 be brought on for debate immediately.' The reason that I am moving this is that it is clear from the conduct of the government that it is doing everything it possibly can to avoid having a debate on and, importantly, moving to vote on these four pieces of legislation, of which the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency) Bill 2023 is one.

The reason that standing and sessional orders need to be suspended is that, first of all, the substance of the matters in this bill are matters of substance which go to important rights for workers, particularly the amendments to the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency Act to broaden the functions of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. This would allow the agency to play a central role in coordinating, monitoring and reporting on national efforts to eliminate asbestos and silicon related diseases in Australia and to support those affected by these diseases. This is a matter of importance because, thanks to work done in the Senate, there is now a bill before the House which would allow the House to deal with this matter immediately. I refer, of course, to the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency) Bill 2023, the bill that's been the subject of the message we've just received. That was debated and voted on by the Senate last week, and the Senate passed this bill.

There is now the option for the House to consider this matter immediately. It is not a contentious proposition that these matters are of considerable importance. Let me quote, for example, the member for McEwen. He's not somebody I would typically quote, but on this occasion I am pleased to quote the member for McEwen. He had this to say:

The need to extend the functions of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency to address silica related diseases is something that was brought home to me through meetings with the ACTU …

Let's be very clear about what is going on in this House. The provisions that were contained in a bill moved by the government, rejoicing in the Orwellian name of 'Closing Loopholes', packages together some extremely politically contentious matters which are all about the government responding to the aspirations and desires of its paymasters in the union movement. It packages together those contentious matters with matters that are widely accepted as necessary to be dealt with, as a matter of urgency, by the union movement, the business community, the government, the opposition and, I'm informed, by most, if not all, of the crossbenchers. This is an opportunity for this House to deal with that matter immediately.

We've seen a consistent pattern, by this government today, of doing everything it can to avoid this House engaging efficiently and promptly with these bills. We've seen this government doing everything it could to delay these being brought on and, I may also say, doing everything it could to avoid being put in a position where it needs to vote on these matters. But the effect of this suspension of standing orders motion, Mr Speaker—and through you to the House—is that it allows the Australian people, and indeed this House, to see very clearly where this government stands on these matters.

There is an opportunity for the government to join with the opposition—and, I'm informed, some, if not all, of the crossbench—in support of this bill, to pass this bill immediately. This bill would have the effect of broadening the powers of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. This government has done everything it could to avoid being put in a position where it needs to deal with this matter in this House. But I'd suggest that that is not, from the point of view of this House and its members, a satisfactory way to deal with this matter.

So the effect of the suspension of standing orders that I am moving is that, if the suspension is passed, it would put me in a position to move that the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency) Bill 2023 be brought on for debate and, indeed, a vote, immediately. That is the simple proposition that I am putting to the House. There's 25 minutes of debate on this particular bill. I'm conscious that there may be crossbench colleagues who wish to speak, so I will conclude my contribution here, and I hope that crossbench colleagues who have views may choose to express them.

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