MEDIA RELEASE - LABOR REPEATEDLY VOTES AGAINST PRO-WORKER MEASURES

PAUL FLETCHER MP

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

MEDIA RELEASE

13 November 2023

LABOR REPEATEDLY VOTES AGAINST PRO-WORKER MEASURES

The Albanese Government has missed an opportunity to put politics aside and support sensible industrial relations legislation, with Labor repeatedly voting against motions moved by the Opposition that would have allowed the House of Representatives to move immediately to debate and vote on four Bills passed by the Senate last week.

The four separate Bills related to:

• First responders
• Protecting employees from small business redundancies
• Anti-discrimination against victims of family and domestic violence
• The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency

Each of them was passed by the Senate last week and implement specific provisions taken from Labor’s voluminous and controversial “Closing Loopholes” Bill. While that Bill will not be considered by the Senate until February 2024, if the House had supported these Bills as the Opposition proposed, the specific measures in them could have passed into law immediately.

Manager of Opposition Business in the House Paul Fletcher said Labor has failed to support Australian workers. 

“The Albanese Labor Government had several opportunities to enhance the safety and rights of Australian workers by voting to implement these new protections, but squibbed it,” Mr Fletcher said. 

“The proposed Bills would have delivered positive outcomes for first responders, employees wanting to access redundancy payments, victims of domestic violence and better protect workers exposed to silica and related diseases.

“The public doesn’t care about petty politics. They just want to see crucial reform implemented.

“Today was a character test for the Albanese Labor Government and it failed miserably.”

Media contact: William Sparling | 0416 628 276 | [email protected]