Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I withdraw that. I am sorry, I got a bit carried away with my anger at this bill and what is being done by those opposite, the Greens and Labor, with the support of a new senator to this place—well intentioned but who, I believe, has been completely duped. I hope it is just duping and nothing else.

This bill is of great concern to Western Australians. Unfortunately, there has been no opportunity for Western Australian businesses, large and small, to actively engage and comprehensively provide submissions and input into this process, because, again, in this place those opposite, with the support of Senator Pocock, have denied the normal processes. I say shame on all of you because we know what is going to happen. It will not result in an increase in real wages for Australian workers. It will increase exponentially the activism and the reach of trade union movements, which, of course, is what this was all about. Senator Polley gave away the game last night. When one of my colleagues was commenting that this hadn't been consulted on, Senator Polley interjected by saying: 'Of course, we're the Labor Party. What else did you expect we were going to do?' I think that says it all about the ethics and the behaviour of those opposite on this bill.

I say, through you, Chair, to Senator Pocock, as other speakers have done, it is not too late to say: 'I was wrong. We do need more time. We need time to go through the legislation for the committee to do further scrutiny for all Australians to have the opportunity to engage, if they want to, and for this place to do what it does best on behalf of all Australians. That is, scrutinising legislation and amendments in a careful, deliberate way on a bill that will be the most consequential on Australian workers in the last 30 years.'

For all of those reasons and all of the reasons that my colleagues here have said in great detail why this is such bad legislation, I would urge those opposite that it is not too late, because this is not in the best interests of Australian workers.