Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition will be supporting the amendment that has been proposed by the Greens senators and Senator David Pocock. Given the substantial cost of the measure to the budget over the medium term, it is essential that this proposal be reviewed rigorously. During the Senate inquiry into the legislation, the government could not outline any criteria that the policy's success or failure would be measured against. Given the alarming lack of policy analysis underpinning the legislation, it's important that it be subject to a thorough and wide-ranging review. While the coalition opposes the broader bill, we will support amendments to ensure that, if it does pass, appropriate safeguards are placed around the substantial costs of this measure.