Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Payman for the question and the opportunity to inform the Senate and, particularly, to remind those opposite, who claim to be the party of business, just how much support there is from the business community for our changes. The BCA, the AIG, ACCI and the MCA all see safeguard reforms as essential to long-term policy and investment, which has been lacking after a decade of denial and dysfunction on the other side and which we are still witnessing. Jennifer Westacott, Chief Executive of the Business Council, said last week:

What we need now is just to get on with it, what I think we don't need is major reversals.

They don't like hearing this, do they? Their constituencies are walking away from them. Andrew McKellar from ACCI is urging the parliament to get on with it and is urging a bipartisan approach. (Time expired)