Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

The test here is whether what businesses do is lawful in all the circumstances, and I've explained in my contribution on this amendment the reasons the government moved as swiftly as we did. There was clearly a need to act quickly. There was a need to ensure that the system was as simple and efficient as possible in terms of providing the necessary support on a large scale. That is what we've done. That is what countries in other parts of the world have done—including, as I've indicated, New Zealand, the UK, Canada and others—on a similar basis to Australia, similarly not making the arrangements overly complex. Nobody is forced to participate in these arrangements, but the arrangements should be available on an equal basis, on the same terms and conditions, to all businesses, and any business that complies with the law should be able to participate as appropriate.