The Morrison Government has done a grubby deal with the One Nation political party to strip workers of protections against being sacked or having their hours reduced under the JobMaker Hiring Credit scheme.

Labor introduced amendments to the JobMaker Hiring Credit scheme which would have disqualified companies from the scheme if they were found to have sacked a worker in order to obtain the payment. The amendments also would have legally required much more transparent reporting.

Unfortunately, as the Morrison Government and One Nation combined to refuse Labor’s amendments it will now be easier to sack existing workers and replace them with cheaper, government subsidised workers.

The nation’s jobs crisis is worsening but Scott Morrison is withdrawing support from the economy and undermining protections for workers.

The Government’s failure to safeguard workers follows revelations that the program will only create 10 per cent of the jobs they initially announced.

The Prime Minister has consistently been sluggish to act during this crisis, and his Government’s deliberate decisions to exclude Australians from protections and support means the only lasting legacies of this crisis could be higher unemployment for longer and a trillion dollars of debt.