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One Nation received nearly $50,000 from labour-hire firm WorkPac after reversing its position to support the Morrison government's 2021 industrial relations bill, which gutted legal claims that had potentially exposed WorkPac to $100 million in liabilities.
One Nation received nearly $50,000 from one of Australia's biggest labour-hire firms after the party performed an eleventh-hour reversal and supported legislation that gutted several legal challenges in which the company, WorkPac, was potentially exposed to $100 million in liabilities.
One Nation Reverses Over Industrial Relations Bill
The decision to support the Morrison government's controversial 2021 industrial relations bill came after One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts had spent months criticising the legislation, calling it a cruel mess that would harm casual workers. It caused significant upheaval within One Nation, prompting Stuart Bonds, a coal industry worker and the party's lead candidate for the upper house at the looming NSW election, to quit the party.
Simon Turner, a former Hunter Valley coal miner who had for years backed the party due to Roberts' support, labelled it a betrayal. The previously unreported contribution from WorkPac raises questions about the motivations behind One Nation's decision to reverse its position. A One Nation source also alleged WorkPac made contributions before and after the March 2021 vote, casting doubt on the party's disclosures.
Asked about his departure from One Nation over the vote, Bonds said it was the first time he had been made aware of WorkPac's contribution, but did not believe the funds would have influenced the party's vote. I don't think it would've happened. It's always been the party's position: you're welcome to make a donation, but it will never change the party's policy, Bonds told this masthead.
WorkPac Donations and One Nation Disclosures
Australian Electoral Commission disclosures show Pauline Hanson's party received $48,000 from WorkPac across four transactions during the 2021-22 financial year. It represented just under 10 per cent of the party's disclosed receipts for that period. They are the only contributions the company has made to One Nation. WorkPac, Australia's largest privately owned recruitment and staffing business, also gave $57,000 to the Liberal Party across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 financial years.
A One Nation spokesman did not engage with a series of questions about WorkPac's contributions, including whether they were connected to the party's vote and if any meetings were held with the company before the matter came up in the Senate. One Nation has consistently raised concerns about casual employment practices in the black coal sector since 2019, he said. All donations to One Nation are duly disclosed in accordance with the requirements of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.
Federal Court Ruling Hits Labour Hire Firms
He did not answer questions about whether Chris Taylor, Hanson's current chief of staff who reportedly worked for WorkPac until joining the office of then prime minister Scott Morrison as general counsel and special adviser in June 2021, lobbied One Nation directly over the legislation. A landmark Federal Court ruling delivered a hefty blow to labour hire companies.
It found casual employees who worked regular and predictable shifts with a firm advance commitment to work were entitled to paid annual, sick and carer's leave. The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union had argued the arrangements that existed before the ruling allowed multinational mining and labour hire companies to pay casuals lower rates than permanent workers.
The decision, in a case brought by coal mine worker Robert Rossato against WorkPac, bolstered a set of class-action lawsuits brought by coal miners seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in backpay from employers. It sparked panic among employer groups, with estimates an avalanche of claims could cost employers up to $40 billion. It prompted the Morrison government to release a draft omnibus Industrial Relations bill which, if passed, would gut the claims.
Roberts Opposes Casual Worker Law Changes
Roberts lashed the proposed changes as a cruel mess, promising One Nation would stand up for casual workers affected by misclassification, and warning the government not to block entitlements for regional casual miners. The Queensland senator had regularly appeared in videos railing against labour hire practices alongside injured worker Turner, who became the face of a class action lawsuit against BHP, the owner of the Mount Arthur coal mine in the Hunter Valley.
In a 22-minute video posted to social media in July 2020 with Turner and Bonds, Roberts described a process of exploitation, abuse and negligence in the coal industry. It's horrific, it's unethical, immoral and unlawful, with deliberate breaches of laws, Roberts said in the video.
Roberts' public opposition remained staunch until at least late February 2021, two months after the legislation was introduced, labelling the system a playground for the IR club, what he believed was a cabal of class-action litigation lawyers, unions and big employer organisations profiting from the system's complexity. His position was backed by Bonds, who had almost snatched the seat of Hunter from veteran Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon at the federal election two years earlier.
In a submission to a Senate inquiry examining the bill, Bonds accused the then government of trying to cover up for labour hire companies. Workers are entitled to billions of dollars in back pay, and they should be paid accordingly, Bonds wrote. But on March 18, One Nation suddenly flipped, supporting the Morrison government's insertion of a retrospective statutory definition of casual, based strictly on an employer's initial offer.
As a result of Roberts' and Hanson's votes, the bill passed 35 to 33.
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brisbanetimes:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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