Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Surprise, surprise—Senator Cash has capitulated to Bruce Billson. He was a former cabinet minister who, while on the government payroll and still a member of parliament, was accepting a payment from the Franchise Council. This is absolutely ridiculous. This just demonstrates that Bruce Billson was in there ensuring that this government does not look after workers that are in a vulnerable position. This makes it more difficult for workers who are being exploited to actually get some fairness within the system. This is a government that is prepared to amend its own legislation because a former cabinet minister who was on the payroll of the Franchise Council while they were still a member of parliament gets his way. This is not something that should be supported in here. This continues this government's lack of concern for exploited workers in this country. This continues a process that this government is happy to capitulate to. That means that, if you are a poor, vulnerable worker, you can be exploited in this country.

This does not deal with the issues of 7-Eleven. Surely, Minister Cash, you are aware of what happened to workers under that 7-Eleven process. You then came and developed amendments to the act to deal with this, yet, when your former cabinet minister knocked on your door and knocked on the doors of Senator Leyonhjelm and Senator Bernardi, what happened? They just capitulated. Here we are, the far Right of politics in this country, lining up with the far Right in the coalition to knock workers' rights off. That's what this is about. It's hear no evil, see no evil—just let everything happen to workers at 7-Eleven and Caltex. Franchisors have no responsibility for trying to ensure that workers get a fair go in this country. We know that we will never get a fair go under the coalition. But, every now and again, I would have thought that Senator Bernardi might have had some little comprehension or understanding of the rip-offs that take place. Senator Leyonhjelm probably wouldn't. But, Senator Bernardi, maybe you should have some understanding. This is about workers getting ripped off by some of the most powerful companies in this country. Again, I suppose it was not a problem when the former owner of 7-Eleven was a high-ranking Liberal apparatchik.

This is about the government. This is about Senator Cash. This is about the coalition using Senator Bernardi and Senator Leyonhjelm as stalking horses to try to get changes to their own legislation after big business and the Franchise Council have said to the government, 'We don't like it.' Bruce Billson comes in, knocks on the door, and workers are put at the bottom of the pack. This is unacceptable. This is just another example of a government that doesn't care about what happens to poor and vulnerable workers in this country. We will not be supporting this amendment. Anyone who has any comprehension of the problems that vulnerable workers are facing in this country would not support this. We think this is a complete capitulation by the minister and by the coalition to a former cabinet minister who was taking money from the Franchise Council while he was still in government. This is a problem for vulnerable workers in this country and it should be opposed.