Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, but it would be even better. So I will not detain the chamber too much in that respect, but whilst I accept the minister’s obvious point that any statute is open to interpretation in the courts, the purpose of a statute is in fact to reduce the number of times or the circumstances in which you go to the courts. The government recognises that constantly in its legislation. Our amendment, to which these two amendments lead in in the next bill, would seek to reduce the circumstances in which you would have to go to the courts. It would reduce the need for deeming provisions because it would be more certain and more apparent as to when employee status exists.

We are not going to get much further in this debate. The government have the numbers to overturn this. I urge the Labor Party, when one day they get into power, to maintain the national regime that is predicated on this bill but to make the national regime much fairer and to introduce an employee definition.