Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport) Share this | Hansard source

of the implementation of this legislation and deny any form of protection to the independent operators on the basis that we will play some russian roulette about these other pieces of legislation.

We are on the record as saying changes need to be made. In fact, I moved an amendment which set out some changes that we believe need to be made to the competition regime, which were the same as those moved by Senator Murray, and we supported Senator Murray’s amendments. We will continue to support that position, but in the absence of an assurance that that is going to go through, we are faced with a choice: do we remain with an outdated, inconsistent and unfair regime which gives no protection to significant parts of the industry and has no impact at all on well over 50 per cent of the industry by volume? That is the choice that the opposition has, but what is the only responsible position that we can take? It is to bring the law up to date as far as we can.

I acknowledge that Senator Murray suggests that, if we vote with the minor parties and one of the coalition senators votes with us, we can block all of this and nothing will happen. That is the choice that we make. We prefer that there be an improvement. We do not say that it is enough. We do not say that it is the end of the improvement of the competition regime. I look forward to the support of all the minor parties and Senator Joyce when Labor wins the next election, because we will be in a position to implement it.