Labor, Coalition clash over WGEA

The Canberra Times

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and opposition spokesperson for finance, Jane Hume, clash in Senate estimates over the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Transcript

00:00I think you should just be up front about what you're doing here.

00:03You used to support WGEA, now you don't support WGEA, and that's where this is heading.

00:07Are you afraid of transparency?

00:09I'm not afraid. It's very transparent.

00:11Why are you arcing up about this?

00:12I'm not sitting here smirching the work that WGEA does.

00:17Because of the location of WGEA. She said that it was really hard to recruit people to Sydney CBD.

00:23Because of the cost of living crisis.

00:27So I'm just wondering.

00:29I just think you should be up front about what you're doing here.

00:31You're opposed to legislation in the Senate.

00:33After 40 years of supporting this, you're turning your back on it.

00:36So let's just be up front about that.

00:38Don't pretend that it's something about a lease cost.

00:41That's just what we want to do.

00:42What are you afraid of, Minister?

00:45Senator Hume is just asking questions.

00:48You don't need to run interference, Senator McGrath.

00:51I'm not running interference.

00:52Senator Hume can look after herself.

00:53I don't understand why voices are being raised.

00:55When Senator Hume is asking some very factual questions here,

00:58she doesn't need your protection, Senator McGrath.

01:00She certainly doesn't need my protection.

01:02But I'm concerned that the taxpayers of Australia would like to get answers to the questions.

01:06Well, they have the answers and it's all reported in the annual report.

01:09What's happening here is there's an attempt to besmirch the work that WGEA is doing.

01:15That is not true.

01:16Will you oppose the legislation in the Senate?

01:19You did.

01:21After 40 years of backing it, you are now a crab walking away.

01:25That's what's happening here.

01:26Let's be upfront about what you and your leader are doing here.

01:30I'm really giving it a good crack at asking some questions of WGEA

01:33and essentially the minister is just filling the vacuum with noise.

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