This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Work & employment
Workers in the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave., including textile, clothing and footwear workers, would get a new path to leave the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. and form a separate union.
Exploitation, underpayment and unsafe working conditions within CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. offices left vulnerable textile, clothing and footwear workers, many women from non-English speaking backgrounds, exposed. The bill lets the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. hold a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. to leave the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. and form a separate union, with the application due before 1 September 2024.
After Parliament created a pathway in 2020 for parts of unions to demergeTo split off from a larger union and become a separate organisation., vulnerable textile, clothing and footwear workers inside the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. were still described as facing exploitation, underpayment and unsafe conditions within union offices. Senator Jacqui Lambie responded by first trying to add a demerger mechanism to the Closing Loopholes No. 2The 2024 law that the bill refers back to when it defines the old rules and timing. bill and then introducing this standalone bill in February 2024 to force a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. before 1 September 2024, but it was not passed and later lapsed in July 2025.
The main criticism was that the bill could cut across ongoing talks between the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. parties by legislating a breakaway process before those discussions had run their course. That reservation appears to have been narrow rather than a broad policy attack, with the government raising it while other speakers in the debate backed the bill.
Senator Jacqui Lambie introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Jacqui Lambie Network, Liberal Party, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
510 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Workers in the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave., including textile, clothing and footwear workers, would get a new path to leave the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. and form a separate union.
The CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. would be allowed to hold a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. on leaving the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately., but the application for that ballot would have to be lodged before 1 September 2024.
A new breakaway union would have to cover the same groups of workers as set in key CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. rules from 2 December 2023, and its coverage could not overlap with the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately..
Until 1 January 2034, the Fair Work CommissionThe workplace tribunal that would run the ballot process and decide related rule changes under this bill. would have to block CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. rule changes that would overlap with the new union's coverage if the new union objects.
If the application asks for an in-person vote for members, the Fair Work CommissionThe workplace tribunal that would run the ballot process and decide related rule changes under this bill. would be required to order that voting method.
The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2024 (the Bill) amends the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 to enable vulnerable workers within the Manufacturing Division to de-merge from the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU).Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) explanatory memorandum
The Bill adds Schedule 3 to the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 to enable the Manufacturing Division within the CFMEU, which includes the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Sector, to hold a secret ballot to de-merge from the CFMEU. The application must be made before 1 September 2024.Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) explanatory memorandum
Subclause 2(4) provides that eligibility rules of the new organisation must reflect certain rules of the CFMEU as at 2 December 2023 and that eligibility rules of the CFMEU must not overlap with the eligibility rules of the new organisation.Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) explanatory memorandum
Subclause 2(5) provides that the Fair Work Commission must not, after the withdrawal from amalgamation takes effect and before 1 January 2034, consent to an alteration of the eligibility rules of CFMEU if the Fair Work Commission is satisfied that the alteration to the eligibility rules would result in an overlap between the eligibility rules of the CFMEU and the new organisation and the new organisation has raised an objection to the alteration with the Fair Work Commission.Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) explanatory memorandum
Subclause 2(6) provides that if the application seeks, pursuant to subsection 100(3) of the old Act, that the Fair Work Commission make orders that the vote of the constituent members be done in whole or in part by attendance ballot, the Fair Work Commission must make the orders.Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) explanatory memorandum
Context
After Parliament created a pathway in 2020 for parts of unions to demergeTo split off from a larger union and become a separate organisation., vulnerable textile, clothing and footwear workers inside the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. were still described as facing exploitation, underpayment and unsafe conditions within union offices. Senator Jacqui Lambie responded by first trying to add a demerger mechanism to the Closing Loopholes No. 2The 2024 law that the bill refers back to when it defines the old rules and timing. bill and then introducing this standalone bill in February 2024 to force a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. before 1 September 2024, but it was not passed and later lapsed in July 2025.
Parliament creates a pathway for union demergers
A senator supporting the bill said the former coalition government had already passed legislation in 2020 to let constituent parts of unions leave larger unions that no longer suited their members.
Hansard ↗Attempt to add the demerger proposal to Closing Loopholes No. 2The 2024 law that the bill refers back to when it defines the old rules and timing. fails
Speakers said the same proposal had been moved as amendments to the government's Closing Loopholes No. 2The 2024 law that the bill refers back to when it defines the old rules and timing. bill about two weeks earlier, but the government and Greens voted it down.
Hansard ↗Protecting Vulnerable Workers bill is introduced
Senator Lambie introduced a standalone bill to let the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. Manufacturing DivisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. hold a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. on leaving the union, with any application required before 1 September 2024.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Government says it will not support the bill
During Senate debate, the government said it recognised the bill's motivation but would not support it because discussions between the relevant parties were still underway.
Hansard ↗The bill lapses at the end of Parliament
The proposal did not complete its parliamentary passage, so the special demerger path it offered never took effect.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main criticism was that the bill could cut across ongoing talks between the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. parties by legislating a breakaway process before those discussions had run their course. That reservation appears to have been narrow rather than a broad policy attack, with the government raising it while other speakers in the debate backed the bill.
No wider public case against the bill is clearly recorded in the debate excerpts.
Could pre-empt ongoing negotiations
The government said it would be inappropriate to legislate this demerger pathway while discussions between the relevant parties were still underway, suggesting the bill risked interfering with a negotiated outcome rather than letting that process continue.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Tyrrell supports the bill and wants it passed so the manufacturing divisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. of the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately., especially the textile, clothing and footwear workers, can hold a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. to demergeTo split off from a larger union and become a separate organisation..
Read in Hansard ↗Watt says the government will not support the bill, even though it recognises Senator Lambie’s position and motivation.
Read in Hansard ↗Matt O'Sullivan says the opposition supports the bill and wants it passed because it would let parts of the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. and other organisations split off and choose their own path.
Read in Hansard ↗Lambie supports the bill and says the manufacturing divisionThe CFMEU branch covered by textile, clothing and footwear workers, and the part the bill says could vote to leave. of the CFMEUThe union the bill would let one part of itself leave and set up separately. should be allowed to hold a secret ballotA private vote where members choose without others seeing how they voted. to demergeTo split off from a larger union and become a separate organisation. and take control of its own future.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 oppose
“I'd like to thank Senator Lambie for introducing the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2024. Whilst we recognise and appreciate the position put forward by Senator Lambie and the motivation behind the bill, we understand that there are ongoing discussions between the relevant parties. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of those discussions, and as such the government will not be supporting this bill.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
2 speakers · 2 support
“I rise to support the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2024. I thank Senator Lambie very much indeed for bringing this important bill before the Senate for us to consider. It's something that should be supported by everyone here and by anyone who wants to see freedom of association—enabling individuals within groups and organisations to have the right to determine who they associate with. I can't see why it would even be controversial.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to speak in support of Senator Lambie's private senator's bill, the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2024, and I thank Senator Lambie for bringing this bill to the chamber. Personally, I wish she didn't have to.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 support
“What's at issue here is freedom of choice. These women need to be able to choose who they wish to represent them and should be able to make those choices in a secret ballot. This is necessary to ensure that intimidation from thugs is kept to a minimum. I support this bill and I commend Senator Lambie for it. It's solid, effective legislation. It supports vulnerable women and is a further step both in recognising the right to freedom of choice and in determining an important issue of autonomy for women and for all workers. The ability of these women to choose to demerge from the CFMEU must be confirmed. Union membership must be voluntary, and there must be freedom of choice as to who someone's representative should be. That is for the benefit of the union movement, because with choice comes competition and then accountability.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
2 speakers · 2 support
“Yet a division of a union with the greatest number of women isn't allowed to have a secret ballot to take charge of their future. That's all they're asking for—to take charge of their future.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“And yet and yet—a union mainly made up of women isn't allowed a secret ballot to take charge of their own union.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Lapsed at end of Parliament
Lapsed at end of Parliament
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
