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

It would be ironic if this legislation were to proceed to the other place with the Senate not having insisted on its amendments—if it were to proceed with, in effect, the support of a party who have expressed their very strong opposition to this legislation. It is the Labor Party that have said we are prepared to support this amended legislation, because we believe in the principles of the scheme, but we're not happy with how it's designed, in many ways, and we would have done it very differently. We are the ones that want to see this injection of cash into the economy in order to support young Australians to get work.

But, let's be clear, we're the ones that said we supported this legislation, and it would be a great irony, indeed, if this legislation were to proceed back to the other place with the Senate not having insisted on its amendments, because that would, in effect, be expressing your support for the legislation—because the Senate's capacity to insist on the legislation is the only thing that stands in the way of its passage, ultimately. We want to see this legislation amended, and amended according to the very solid principles put forward by the Senate.