Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

It is very clear that that is not going to happen because it was made very clear to us at the inquiry that providers are not going to be able to afford these pay rises. Of the 352,000 aged-care workers, about 130,000 are not covered by an EBA. That is a lot of potential new union members—mostly vulnerable, low-paid aged-care workers. These are the ones the disgraced former HSU official Craig Thomson described in his maiden speech as people who are 'committed and motivated and who strongly believe in the importance of the work they do'. These are the ones who would be forced back into the very union which betrayed them.

Time will not permit me to cover everything tonight. Hopefully I will get an opportunity next week to trawl through some of the major problems with these bills. Those problems are outlined in the dissenting report of coalition senators and include issues such as the payments, the workforce supplement and a whole range of other matters.