Coronavirus: JobMaker laws set to bypass objections

The Morrison government’s $4bn JobMaker hiring credit is likely to pass parliament this week, despite Labor arguing that the legislation is ‘woefully in­adequate’.

Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor.

The Morrison government’s $4bn JobMaker hiring credit is likely to pass parliament this week, despite Labor arguing that the legislation is “woefully in­adequate” and pushing for eligibility requirements to be widened.

Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor on Tuesday said no amount of amendments would “fix” the proposed economic package, but flagged that Labor would not stand in the Coalition’s way when it came to the bill’s passage through parliament.

“No amount of amendments will fix this woefully inadequate proposed legislation, which will not deliver what was announced by the Prime Minister,” he told The Australian.

“The Morrison recession will be deeper and longer, and unemployment will be persistently high, because of the failure of the government in not understanding what is required to respond to the worst recession since the Great Depression.”

A joint Greens-Labor amendment to stop businesses hiring and firing in order to qualify for the JobMaker credit passed the Senate on Tuesday with the support of One Nation and independent senators Rex Patrick and Jacqui Lambie.

The amendment to the legislation also protects the working hours of existing workers to make sure their hours are not reduced to make way for the minimum 20 hours for credit.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has criticised the scheme, saying an employer was better off hiring two part-time workers instead of one full-time worker.

She told the Senate on Tuesday the proposed legislation had too many flaws and had not been properly thought through. “The government needs to shift focus to investing in infrastructure projects that will benefit Australia as a whole for the decades to come,” she said.

The Morrison government has prioritised getting its JobMaker hiring credits legislation, a key measure providing wage subsidies for workers aged up to 35, through the Senate this week.

JobMaker offers employers between $100 and $200 a week in hiring credits, but critics say it does not go far enough in cushioning the pandemic jobs blow.

Scott Morrison on Tuesday said the economic package was part of the government’s plan to get businesses open.