Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Sadly, under Australia's current workplace laws, designed by the coalition, too many labour hire workers haven't been treated and aren't treated with the respect that they deserve. The labour hire loophole that the Albanese government is seeking to close is happening. Where after an enterprise agreement is approved but the employer then engages labour hire to undermine the agreed minimum rates in the enterprise agreement, that is something we need to really recognise about this, because we've seen some of the hysterical media coverage of this, we've seen some of the advertising campaigns being run by business groups, which are fundamentally untrue and are based on fiction. The labour hire loophole that we are seeking to close applies where an employer enters an enterprise agreement with their workers and with a union and then decides to undercut that very enterprise agreement that they have signed by bringing in labour hire workers on lower rates and conditions. So, it applies where employers—and it's a small number, but it still matters—agree to one thing and then turn around and find a way to knowingly break their commitments under their enterprise agreement.

What we've learned over the last few days is that all of those people sitting opposite want that to continue. We've learned that Senator Hughes wants that loophole to continue. We've learned that every single senator on the other side of the chamber wants that loophole to continue—