Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

The government will amend the Fair Work Act to ban secret payments from employers to unions. Certain legitimate payments will be allowed, but these payments will need to be disclosed to the employees in the course of negotiating an enterprise agreement.

Criminal penalties will apply to both the employer and the unions. The party that makes or offers the payment will be penalised in the same way as the party that solicits or receives the payment. Criminal penalties for payment with the intent to corrupt will be 10 years in prison and $900,000 for an individual or $4.5 million for a company. Penalties for other illegitimate payments will be two years in prison or $90,000 for an individual or $450,000 for a company.

Those who would oppose this legislation need to front the Australian people and explain why. (Time expired)