Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the resolution of the Senate of 15 March 2016 relating to the hours of meeting and routine of business for the week be amended as follows:

  (a) in paragraph (4) add to the list of bills "Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Australian Workers) Bill 2016 (contingent on introduction)"; and

  (b) add the following new paragraph "(4)(c) for the purposes of this order, the consideration Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Australian Workers) Bill 2016 be listed and considered as a government business order of the day.".

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Attempting to bring this bill on for debate at this time is yet another cynical stunt by the Labor Party that is designed to stall Senate voting reform. We only saw Senator Cameron's bill for the first time yesterday, and the temporary work visa inquiry that addresses these issues is yet to report. The inquiry has uncovered serious abuses of people's rights at work, and its findings deserve a serious response. Debating this bill this week is not that. In the short amount of time we have had to examine Senator Cameron's bill, it is clear that it does contain many positive provisions that will address challenges facing workers including, for example, sham contracting. The Greens are very likely to support the bill; however, it contains complex amendments and needs to go through a proper committee process. I note that my colleague Adam Bandt, the member for Melbourne, has already introduced a bill that would protect franchise workers, and it was the Greens who moved to include the abuses that 7-Eleven were committing in the temporary work visa inquiry. Labor are going on and on about due process for Senate reforms yet, when it comes to protecting rights at work, Senator Cameron is just dumping a bill on the Senate.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is hypocritical of the Greens to sit here and basically support the coalition to knock this off when we could be debating the issues that are important for ordinary working class people in Australia. These are people that you have no idea about; people that the Greens do not seem to have any compassion for these days. These are people who are the victims of phoenixing. These are the people who are the victims of companies doing the wrong thing, like 7-Eleven. We have seen 7-Eleven employees intimidated, 7-Eleven employees subjected to criminal activity by their employers, and you sit here and back this in. To not deal with this matter is pure hypocrisy, and another example of the Greens losing the plot.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Cameron be agreed to.