Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

Debating this legislation, the Economic Recovery Package (JobMaker Hiring Credit) Amendment Bill 2020, today really just demonstrates how much this government is all about the headline and not about the action. We are here today debating this legislation that the government said is vitally important to get through this House so the Senate can debate it urgently. It's urgent that we debate this legislation in here! It was all over the papers. Why is it urgent? Because the Senate needs to consider it—in November!

But, taking the government at its word and wanting to be constructive and cooperative, making sure that we assist the government to make the best supports available to the people of Australia, we, the opposition, have made sure that this vitally important piece of legislation will actually be debated today. It's not because the government decided to bring it on for debate, no. It's because the Labor Party decided to bring it on for debate, because we understand that, when the government says to the Australian people that a piece of legislation is vital and urgent and important, we need to act cooperatively with the government. We understand the importance of these things, unlike the actual government, who decided to talk to the newspapers and talk to journalists but, when it comes to what they're actually going to do in the parliament—and the minister in the chair knows this all too well—had no plan whatsoever to have this legislation debated today.

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