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

Thank you very much for that, Senator Tyrrell. I've just been advised that this is an issue you've taken an active interest in, and I appreciate the opportunity to provide a little bit more information to you. I don't know whether you've had the opportunity to discuss these matters directly with Minister Clare, the education minister? I'm sure that he and his office would be very happy to provide you with a briefing about it.

What I can say is that I know this is an issue he's working on. He shares your concern about the current arrangements in this field and, therefore, he has some policy work underway to deal with that. I also understand that this is something which is being considered in the context of the government's employment white paper. That is being led by the Treasurer, but there are a range of portfolios, including mine, for that matter, which have had some input into that employment white paper. It will be looking at a whole range of issues to do with the future employment of Australians and the employment arrangements which should sit around that. The issues that you have raised will also be considered in that context.

So the government has a couple of different pieces of work underway to examine these issues. We're not at a point yet where we have a solution to them, but I'm sure, as I said, that the relevant ministers would be more than happy to involve you in that process and to get your perspectives. If there are local students, workers or businesses who are affected by this then I'd certainly encourage you to put their views forward to those ministers as well so that we can take those views into account in coming up with those policy solutions. I think that the Treasurer is on the record as having said that the employment white paper will be delivered in this calendar year. I imagine that means that there won't be too much longer to wait before there's some concrete information out there. I don't have a time frame for the work that Minister Clare has underway, but I'm sure that it's something he's attending to as a priority as well.