Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Kovacic, it's great to have you representing the opposition in this portfolio. As a broad principle, the government is committed to genuine and ongoing engagement with stakeholders. In developing the bill, we've engaged closely with peak employer bodies and unions. I was just taking some advice on this. When it comes to small business in particular, the usual small business representative groups that you would expect, people like COSBOA and ACCI, were present, I understand, at the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council, NWRCC, where this bill was discussed.

We did comply with the government's consultation obligations for workplace relations legislation. We consulted on an exposure draft of the bill with state and territory government officials, employer groups and union members of the Committee on Industrial Legislation, another acronym—COIL. This is a subcommittee of the NWRCC. This consultation was held on a confidential basis, but it has led to a stronger bill, and we thank participants for their valuable engagement.