10th Nov 2020, 6:28 PM – Senate Economic Recovery Package (Jobmaker Hiring Credit) Amendment Bill 2020 - in Committee - Transparency

The same number of senators voted for and against an amendment introduced by West Australian Senator Louise Pratt (Labor), which means it was unsuccessful.

Amendment text

(1) Schedule 1, page 3 (before line 27), before item 5, insert:

4C Before section 8

Insert:

7C Requirements for rules that provide for jobmaker hiring credit scheme—whistleblowing and complaints measures

(1) This section applies if rules are made for the purposes of subsection 7(1A) that provide for a kind of payment known as the jobmaker hiring credit.

(2) The rules must provide for the following in relation to the scheme for the jobmaker hiring credit:

(a) whistleblowing processes; and

(b) processes for making and handling complaints.

(3) The rules must also require the Commissioner to publish, on a periodic basis during the relevant period and at the end of the scheme, general information about the complaints that have been made in relation to the scheme, including:

(a) the number of complaints received; and

(b) the key issues or behaviours that are the subject of complaints.

What does the bill do?

According to the bills digest:

The purpose of the Economic Recovery Package (JobMaker Hiring Credit) Amendment Bill 2020 (the Bill) is to amend the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020 (the Payments and Benefits Act) to enable payments to be made to help improve people’s prospects of gaining paid employment or to increase workforce participation, between 7 October 2020 and 6 October 2022.

The Bill also allows for the establishment of a scheme related to one or more of the payments intended to help improve people’s prospects of gaining paid employment or increasing workforce participation.