The Minister for Financial Services & Regulation, Joe Hockey, today said the Opposition was solely responsible for the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program bill not commencing on 1 July this year.
The bill was passed today through the House of Representatives.
"The Labor Party is solely responsible for the delay in this bill. It is solely responsible for the bill not beginning on 1 July," the Minister told Parliament.
"The Labor Party is hiding behind the skirt of the Senate in relation to a whole range of bills TLAB 4, Wallis, which was suffering undue delay, and the whole of the GST debate has been delayed thanks to the Senate.
"We have endeavoured to facilitate a process that would ensure that CLERP could be negotiated and discussed prior to 1 July.
"So the Labor Party should have the courage to come into this House and admit that it has been deliberately delaying Government legislation in the Senate."
Once the Bill goes through the Senate, the Government will then consider a start date.