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

Thank you, again, Senator Payman. I think many Australians are surprised to know that, until today, it was not a crime for employers to deliberately steal from the wages of their employees. Today, this parliament has closed that loophole. Of course, many underpayments are not wage theft. Most underpayments are a simple mistake, and our new laws won't catch any of this with this new criminal offence. But these reforms, passed by the parliament today, will ensure that intentional cases of wage underpayment will be a crime, as it should be, and that is all as a result of the Labor government's laws. When the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation had a choice today, they voted to protect bosses who deliberately steal from their workers' wages. You voted against the bill. That's what it means. You voted to protect employers who deliberately steal wages from their employees—people like those working for 7-Eleven, who were paid their wages in full and were then forced by their manager to go to an ATM and withdraw cash. That's who you voted to back. (Time expired)