Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Well, there are three essential types of workers in Australia. They are independent contractors, they are people on awards and they are people on enterprise agreements. And all of them, of course, work and are workers. The definition of 'worker' in the United Kingdom context is completely different from that in Australia.

But what the Leader of the Opposition essentially would try and have people believe in public, which is why he gives speeches about these things and then changes them overnight, is that it is somehow a simple thing, a thing without economic consequences, to move an entire group of people who are presently independent contractors into the award system, onto a minimum wage, with all the benefits that flow from being on an award, such as sick leave benefits and so forth. That's what the Leader of the Opposition would try and have people believe.

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