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

Thank you, Senator White, for reminding us of exactly why these reforms are necessary. It is for workers like Graham, who was raised by the member for Hunter in his speech yesterday. It would do members of the opposition well to listen to those case studies of people who have been hurt by these laws for why we need to close the labour-hire loophole. I've actually met coalminers in Queensland in exactly the same position as Graham, and I heard Senator Green talking about exactly these sorts of people herself this week, because some of us have bothered to get out, whether it be to coalfields or to other working environments, to listen to the workers who are affected by these labour-hire loopholes. There are certain people in this chamber who like to dress up as coalminers but never actually do anything to stand up for them, and we look forward to their support when this legislation comes to a vote.

We are going to close these loopholes that are allowing workers like Graham to be exploited, to be brought in as labour hire and employed for eight years on lower wages and conditions than the workers they stand alongside who are employed under an enterprise agreement.