Liberals must treat Backpacker legislation as urgent

Independent JLN Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie used her vote yesterday to help force the Liberal / National Government to bring into the Senate, their own legislation which would lower the rate of tax for Backpacker seasonal farm workers.

“I rise to support Labor’s amendment to government business which will ensure that the government’s legislation relating to backpacker legislation is dealt with as a matter of urgency by this Senate. On behalf of Tasmanian farmers and workers whose full-time jobs depend on that surge of seasonal backpacker workers I thank Labor, the Greens, One Nation and other crossbench senators who are going to support this important amendment, which will force the government’s legislation to be brought into the Senate.

I would like this chamber to reflect on the reality of what we are trying to do here. The opposition and the crossbench senators have been forced to move an amendment that makes the government introduce their own legislation. What an embarrassment for this government that they will now try to prevent a debate on their own legislation. It is not just any old government legislation that is not time sensitive. This government legislation is extremely urgent. It is legislation that is highly time sensitive. It is legislation which affects the livelihoods and life savings of hundreds of Tasmanian farmers and thousands of full-time Tasmanian workers.

The Liberal-National government, by delaying the introduction of their own backpacker legislation this week, have shown not only that they have a care factor of zero for rural and regional areas and our tourism industry but also that they have betrayed the people who are supposed to be their loyal supporters. If you look at the National Party office doors in this Senate, you will see signs which say ‘Nationals for regional Australia’. What a distortion of the truth.

What a nasty, grubby, little porky being peddled by a group of backstabbing, gutless cowards. The leader of this useless herd of has-beens and geldings is our Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Joyce, who took ordinary Australians, especially those in Tasmania and other regional areas, for fools when he said that backpackers fruit- picking were taking Australian jobs.

What a load of bloody rubbish. He knows that the livelihoods of Australian farmers and their full-time Australian workers depend on the surge in seasonal backpacker workers, and that if we do not have backpacker seasonal workers coming to Australia then millions of tonnes of ripe fruit, berries and vegetables will rot—they will absolutely rot—and farm businesses will go bankrupt and thousands of full- time Australian workers in the farming and food processing industries will have to be sacked.” said Senator Lambie.
Rob Messenger for Senator Jacqui Lambie Senator for Tasmania