Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'll take that interjection. It's on the record now. He is suggesting that there has been no quid pro quo here at all, no offer or proffer from the government at all, and he is asking this Senate to believe that One Nation have magically and without any inducement from the government gone from saying, 'We hate this bill; we want it killed off completely,' which was their position yesterday, to, 'Oh, okay; we'll facilitate the government's agenda to look after the big corporates today.' That's what Senator Birmingham is asking this chamber to believe. It's on the record now. We will ensure that there is an opportunity for Senator Hanson to confirm or deny that. It's a sad day when the Senate is actually failing to stand up for the very sensible, the very logical and the very necessary amendments that it passed yesterday.

The final point I'll make is this: there is absolutely no skin off the government's nose for it to support these amendments. The amendments are sensible. They are logical. They'll protect workers from being exploited. And the government should show maturity, it should be reasonable and it should ensure that the interests of working Australians are protected.