Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've called the member for Leichhardt.

Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's great to feature here today.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Leichhardt will ask his question.

Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry representing the Minister for Employment. Will the minister update the House on how the government's protecting vulnerable workers bill will protect vulnerable workers from unscrupulous employers? Is the minister aware of any alternatives?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question. He, like me and all members on this side of the House, will be glad that last night the Senate passed the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017, another big win for the Minister for Employment, Senator Michaelia Cash, who is doing an amazing job on behalf of workers and employers around Australia.

It's a bill that will give the Fair Work Ombudsman new powers over franchising and ensure that workers like those at 7-Eleven, for example, are not able to be exploited again in the future by unscrupulous employers. It's another brick in the wall that this government has been creating to protect the rights of workers, protect honest union leaders and ensure that the cosy, corrupting arrangements between bosses and union leaders will be a thing of the past. And, bizarrely, the Labor Party voted against the second reading of the bill in the Senate last night—yet again, opposing looking after workers and protecting honest union leaders. They've done it on the Australian Building and Construction Commission, the Registered Organisations Commission, the corrupting benefits bill and, now, the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017. There is one vulnerable worker who must be secretly pleased with the protections afforded him by our reforms. He's been out treading the boards again. The member for Grayndler has written a manifesto today, 'Voters hungry for alternatives'.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House knows the rules on props.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think that we all know what alternative he's talking about. The member for Grayndler has been having quite a run in the park, as they say, in the last few months, whether he's opposing the Leader of the Opposition's position on statues being ripped up and removed and put in the bin, but he took the more sensible view. TheDaily Telegraph agreed with him—not this Leader of the Opposition. He opposed Labor's bungled penalty rates ad. Do you remember that, the so-called racist ad? He supported expelling John Setka from the Labor Party. The Leader of the Opposition stood by John Setka. He said that Labor should embrace the budget because it contained Labor measures they would have done if they were in government. He produced his citizenship documents over two weeks ago. We had to wait until last night for the Leader of the Opposition to produce his, and now he's opposing the Leader of the Opposition's politics of confrontation at all costs. As he said in his manifesto today:

Australia also has its self-styled outsiders who seek to capitalise on public disenchantment …

Bill, he's having a go at you in that manifesto. (Time expired)

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will refer to the members by the correct titles.