BUSINESS

Senator HUME (Victoria—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:31): I seek leave to move a motion relating to the consideration of the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Clearing the Fair Work Commission Backlog) Bill 2026, as circulated. Leave not granted. Senator HUME: Pursuant to contingent notice standing in my name, I move: That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to the consideration of the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Clearing the Fair Work Commission Backlog) Bill 2026.

Well, let me just explain to the chamber, for those of you who are not aware of what it is that I've just said, what has just happened. The Labor Party this week has continued to sneak through this parliament legislation that would secure union favouritism during procurement by the Commonwealth. It will assist the Labor Party to help its union mates, and it is trying to sneak this through the parliament.

It's doing it under the guise of helping the Fair Work Commission deal with its backlog of unfair dismissal claims, which has gone unrecognised, unnoticed and ignored for the last six months. The Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026, which has been introduced and passed through the House of Representatives, seems innocuous enough, and it has good intentions.

However, it has a sting in the tail. The Fair Work Commission has been overwhelmed with unfair dismissal claims for the last six months. That did not happen overnight.

In fact, last year, in October, the Fair Work president, Adam Hatcher, said that he felt sick when he saw the extraordinary increases in claims facing the commissions. Then, in May this year, the general manager of the commission, Murray Furlong, said: The increased workload is placing strain on every element of the commission's operations. Those pleas from the commission have fallen on deaf ears until this very urgent bill that has suddenly been included in the guillotine this week.

Now, finally, the government has put together a bill that will deal with those claims, and that is terrific. But sneakily hidden inside this bill is part 9, a provision that will allow the Commonwealth to discriminate in favour of businesses that have union agreements in procurement, in contracting and in grants—and not just businesses that have union agreements themselves but businesses that have supply chains that have union agreements as well.

This is the dirtiest of deals. Let me be clear. The coalition supports the Fair Work Commission reforms, and that is exactly why we have introduced this bill today.

Labor has bundled those reforms with an entirely unrelated procurement scheme. Part 9 has nothing to do with reducing the Fair Work Commission's backlog. That's why we have introduced a bill so that the Fair Work Commission reforms can go through unamended, exactly as Labor want, without this terrible sting in the tail, which will fundamentally change the way the Commonwealth deals with the private sector.

Part 9 allows the Commonwealth to preference businesses with union-backed enterprise agreements. It applies to procurement. It applies to grants.

It applies to contracts. It creates what is known around the rest of the country as a CFMEU tax. This situation has already been in place in Victoria and in Queensland, where we have seen union corruption rife, pushing up costs for taxpayers, causing blowouts on government funded—taxpayer funded—projects, and all Australians have paid a price for that.

This government promised that it was not going to allow that to happen to Commonwealth projects but that is exactly what this legislation will do, and it's being pushed through without any debate, without any scrutiny, because that's what Labor does. That's why we're moving a suspension of standing orders today, to replace the government's bill with the coalition's bill in a Greens-backed guillotine so that the Senate can pass it and the Fair Work Commission can get rid of its backlog today.

They can do it today if they want. That's what the Fair Work Commission want. I know this because I have spoken to the president myself.

He wants these reforms through and he wants them through quickly. You can do it now. You can do it today.

You don't need to wait until next week with your sneaky little amendment with your sneaky part 9 that is going to fundamentally change the way that the government deals with the private sector. The BCA have said how dangerous this is. This is a corruption risk written into law for every Australian, and every Australian will pay for it.

It reaches into every corner of the economy. The ACCI, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said there are nearly one million employing businesses in Australia that operate without a union-negotiated enterprise agreement and they will be discriminated against. The Ai Group has said this completely risks undermining this vital principle by opening the door for a current or future governments to force employers and employees to strike deals with unions to commercially deal with the government.

Queensland has said how dangerous this is. Victoria has seen how dangerous this is, and you are doing this for your mates. We know you're doing this for your mates.

This is a CFMEU tax and it's being done in disguise. It's been done in disguise of the Fair Work Commission. Senator Wong, shame on you, because we know that the CFMEU is your former employer.

You are doing this for them—for them! Senator Wong: President, I would ask you to ask the senator to withdraw. Senator HUME: It's a fact, I'm afraid.

I'm sorry, did you not work for the CFMEU? The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, in the interests of the chamber, Senator Wong has asked that you withdraw it, so I'm asking you to withdraw it. Senator HUME: What am I withdrawing?

The PRESIDENT: I'm not repeating it. You're well aware of what you need to do. Senator HUME: I'm not sure what it is that I'm withdrawing.

Am I withdrawing a fact? Because Senator Wong used to work for the CFMEU. The PRESIDENT: It was the way that it was used, I think, is the issue.

I've asked you to withdraw it in the interests of the chamber. If you don't wish to do it, then that's on the public record. Senator HUME: I withdraw the imputation, but it is a fact.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, I've asked you to simply withdraw in the interests of the chamber. Senator HUME: I withdraw.