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

I would indicate our good faith in this. We have listened to the concerns of small business, we've listened to the concerns that Senator Xenophon has raised with us, we looked at the wording of the amendment, and the amendment we just moved shows that we are open to sensible concerns. We want to make sure employers who are doing the right thing are not caught, but if an employee is being ripped off then they need to have a fair go. That's the bottom line: if an employee is being ripped off, they have to have a fair go. Senator Xenophon, your assessment of the government when it comes to dealing with workers' rights in this country may be a bit different from my experience over many years of coalition governments. It's quite reasonable for the Labor opposition to have concerns about the behaviour of this government when it comes to industrial relations. It's quite reasonable for us to have concerns about the history of this government in relation to Work Choices and the ABCC. At every opportunity that Senator Cash has to try to denigrate the great Australian trade union movement in this country, she does it. Without the trade union movement in this country, workers would have no penalty rates, workers would have no rights, there would be no annual leave loading. In my view, if this mob could get their own way, there would be a return to serfdom in this country.

Senator Xenophon interjecting—

And you may just say, 'Yeah, yeah'—well, what was Work Choices, Senator Xenophon, if it wasn't forcing ordinary workers in this country into a position where they could not negotiate effectively? That's the bottom line.