Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

The bizarre nature that that would occur because their business is improving is an anomaly that needs to be fixed.

There were some problems with what the government had initially announced which they have fixed, and I welcome that. I welcome that the government has fixed the original announcement that companies that were doing better than ever would be able to get access to these provisions. That's a change that the Attorney-General has made, the Leader of the House has made, and we welcome that. That's what the 10 per cent figure does. That is a good change that the government's made from its original announcement. The pleas that have been put in there through negotiations with the union movement that have led to a consultation period—that's a good improvement. What's been put in the bill that's before us that allows appeals to the industrial commission—that's a good improvement. It doesn't have to be identical to this, but, unless we find a way to insert a safety net, we will end up with anomalies. I've got to say, of all the speakers I heard support the legislation before us tonight, I never heard anyone defend the anomalies. No-one has come to the table today saying, 'We need to keep this.' So I'm simply saying to the government that the vote will go as it will go when the division is held. We get that. This will go to the Senate next week. Don't put us in a situation where this parliament has given permission for low-income workers to fall below the JobKeeper rate because the business they work for is improving.

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