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

(—) (): What this Labor government is doing is putting in place the most worker- and union-friendly laws that Australia has ever seen, because we proudly stand on the side of workers and their rights in the workplace—something you will never get from the Liberal Party, the National Party or the One Nation party, who will always take the side of employers. Senator Cash has come into this chamber and said that they proudly stand on the side of employers, and we know that's what One Nation do, as well as the National Party. We make no apologies whatsoever for passing laws that protect the rights of workers. Senator Payman is correct to say that there are some sectors of our economy where we do see shocking rates of wage theft and other forms of exploitation, in particular hospitality and retail. That's why we changed the law. I've already said that I'll come back to the senator with any information that I can about referrals. But our laws are completely focused on restoring the balance in the workplace relations system and making sure that workers get a fair go. (Time expired)