George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Casual mineworkers in my electorate in North Queensland would already have the ability to convert to full-time work after 12 months of employment were it not for those on the other side. The Labor Party refused to support a bill that the government was going to bring to the parliament in 2019, and subsequently that bill never saw the light of day. So here we are again with a unique chance to fix the problem of casualisation by ensuring that people have the right to convert. Once again, the Labor Party are not supporting it.

I begin today by saying: back the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020—back the bill for all those people who are in casual employment who want the right and the ability to convert to permanent work. Let me be clear about my stance on this issue. If a casual worker is doing the same work as a permanent worker for a period of time greater than 12 months, they are not casual; they are permanent and they should have the option to formally convert to a permanent role. That is an issue that I've campaigned on for many years.

What am I campaigning against? This is a very interesting situation. I get galoots like Labor's Murray Watt, the bloke from the Gold Coast who apparently is a spokesperson for northern Australia.

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