“What that figure says is two things. One,most businesses don’t use the loopholes,but some of them have competitors who do,and for those who do use the loopholes,their workers are a lot worse off,” he said.
“Those figures clarify exactly what I’ve always said,that there is no significant impact here to the economy because the money is not taken out of the economy. That money goes to workers who are currently being underpaid.
“When you look at what’s behind that figure. It’s a headline that is completely in the interests of working people and poses no threat to the Australian economy.”
But Coalition industrial relations spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the wages bill was one that businesses could “ill afford” during a cost-of-living crisis.
“When you wrap up businesses in more red tape,you actually end up strangling them ... they are unable to grow and they are unable to create more jobs for Australians,” she said,adding that she would do everything she could to push out the passage of the bill through the Senate beyond the slated timeframe of the end of the year.
“The reality is I need to work with the crossbench,but I would like to think that the Australian Labor Party commit themselves to being the transparent government that they told Australians they would be if they think their legislation is so good.”