Government defeated in Senate on IR Bill inquiry

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s radical industrial relations Bill will not pass through Parliament this year after the government was defeated in a vote in the Senate today.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash moved a motion to have a Senate inquiry into the Bill report back in February next year. The Government wanted it to report back in November.

Senate crossbenchers supported Senator Cash’s motion.

“Tony Burke and the government had an embarrassing loss in the Senate today when my motion was supported,’’ she said.

“Mr Burke had been clear that he wanted to ram this Bill through the parliament this year,’’ Senator Cash said.

“There was absolutely no need to rush this process because as Mr Burke knows most of the measures in the Bill would not be enacted until the middle or even the end of next year,’’ she said.

“I applaud crossbench Senators for supporting the motion which gives the inquiry enough time to properly examine this complex and costly Bill,’’ she said.

“We will now get an inquiry that will be able to travel around the country to hear from all affected stakeholders,’’ Senator Cash said.

"It is important that the Senate properly examines a Bill which will radically change the industrial relations landscape in this country,’’ she said.

“This Bill and its explanatory memorandum contain almost 800 pages and it was absolutely ridiculous that Mr Burke wanted a rushed inquiry process,’’ Senator Cash said.

“We only got to see the Bill on Monday after a so-called consultation process shrouded in secrecy and gag orders,’’ she said.

“At least now everything is out in the open and we can scrutinise this Bill,’’ Senator Cash said.