Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

No evidence is required for unions to exercise their right-of-entry powers. The National Farmers Federation is right to be concerned about the new rights of entry without notice, which would allow union reps to enter farms unannounced. For most farmers, their workplace is also their family home. The farm is their kids' backyard. Union reps should not be able to waltz in unannounced, and this begs the question: what does this mean for small businesses that operate out of their owners' family homes? Does this bill give union representatives the right to enter a family home purely based on a fear that an underpayment has occurred? No-one knows the answer to this question. Perhaps we will have to rely on the Prime Minister and his word as his bond if he tells us that it's not the case. How on earth does this provision balance the rights and liberties of employers and employees fairly?

Running a small business in this country is not a crime. It is something that should be celebrated. It is the embodiment of our entrepreneurial spirit and our aspiration as Australians. Instead, we have a government and a minister that, with the support of Senator David Pocock, have allowed the dreams and aspirations of hardworking Australians to be crushed.

It is clear that around $100 million in donations made by union bosses over the past decade have ensured that the Australian Labor Party has sided with them rather than with the Australian public, which is where its obligations should lie. One of the most egregious parts of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No. 2) Bill 2023 is the introduction of a new definition of casual employment that will replace the existing definition.