Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

We shouldn't be subsidising with a hiring credit employers who have been found to have underpaid workers. They should be ineligible for this scheme, something these amendments seek to implement. We very much support these amendments. We think that they should be prospectively linked to the operation of the hiring credit scheme, whereby employers that have been found to have underpaid workers are excluded. I very much hope the government understands the serious public concern around this issue and the concerns of everyone who is supporting these amendments.

Essentially, I call on the government to support these amendments in scrutinising this legislation—and I know we've had different positions on the various questions in the amendments—and I particularly call on One Nation to say, 'Let's make a very clear decision that employers who underpay their workers should not receive public funds that subsidise the wages of those workers.' Firms that underpay should not be eligible. Therefore, we support these amendments.

Labor have already indicated that we support this legislation passing the House and the Senate. Senator Patrick said, 'Well, show some spine and stand against the legislation as a whole in order to get some more leverage.' I'm sorry, but that is not how this works. It would be a shame to see One Nation, who oppose this legislation, vote against these amendments. I'd really like to see their attendance in the chamber, so that this legislation that we know will pass this place can be meaningfully amended.