Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kennedy and acknowledge his extraordinary connection to the agricultural and farming communities in his electorate. I've been with him with beef producers and canegrowers, and I've been in those same those banana-packing sheds that he referred to. Some of the greatest areas of underpayment and exploitation and low wages that we have dealt with are not necessarily in that part of Australia but have actually been in the agriculture sector and, often, in horticulture. I would be loathe to create a situation where those workers weren't able to have the chance of the benefits of some of the provisions that are in this bill. For that reason the government won't be supporting the amendment, but understands exactly why it's being moved by the member for Kennedy.

Just in closing—because this will be the final moment of the debate—and for those who are wondering about the consideration in detail stage: this bill will have had the longest consideration in detail on any bill since the marriage equality debate in 2017. You would have to go back to the previous Labor government before that to find a consideration in detail stage on any bill that has gone for as long as this one has. With that in mind, I request that this amendment now be put to the ballot.

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