Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to draw the attention of the Federation Chamber to the situation in Queensland, where more and more of the uniforms for schools are being purchased overseas.

I have been in contact with Symon's Quality Clothing. They are a company in Brisbane that already supplies the Queensland Police Service, the ambulance service, the Department of Community Safety and a number of other corporate organisations that are government-owned and part of the Queensland government's responsibilities. What concerns me is that this company—Symon's Quality Clothing—employs some 17 to 20 highly qualified employees, who are paid in accordance with federal and state awards. This includes sick leave, long service leave, annual leave, superannuation and all other entitlements. They also comply with all the health and safety regulations and have no outside contracts let that would perhaps breach the commitment that Symon's Quality Clothing has to Australian workers.

It has been brought to my attention that a number of schools who used to buy their blazers through Symon's Quality Clothing—and I would say that they cost between $190 and $230 including GST, made to measure—are now sourcing their blazers overseas. In other words, they are taking jobs away from Queensland and Queensland workers through this process of purchasing blazers offshore. These jobs are being lost to Queensland.

These schools, whether they are public or private—I do not mind who they are—are now after more money. They get grants annually which are taxpayer funded. They use those grants to build their schools, which is only right and proper. But they should now do the right thing by the taxpayers of Australia, including those workers in Symon's Quality Clothing who make these clothes and whose jobs are at risk if this practice continues. It is their taxpayer dollars which are going to those schools. Some of those schools are the GPS schools of Queensland and around Brisbane and some are state high schools around Queensland—particularly in the south-east corner. But those jobs are being lost. And if those schools think that they can continue to demand or ask for—and they currently get—taxpayer grants annually to support the education they are providing to children then they should do the right thing by Queensland workers.

They are taking taxpayer dollars and using those taxpayer dollars to build the reputations of their schools. They should also support Queensland and Queensland workers. They should at least be giving Symon's Quality Clothing the opportunity to provide a quote which is competitive against those that are sourced overseas. I put it to the Premier to make sure that they continue to support Symon's Quality Clothing. (Time expired)

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