Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on the Fair Work Amendment (Better Work/Life Balance) Bill 2012 today, because it discusses an issue that we do not talk enough about here in Australia—and that is the issue of work, life and balancing all of that together. This bill is about whether we are becoming a nation that works to live or just lives to work. When you look at those two phrases, they make a very big difference in our lives.

We work more hours on average per week than just about anywhere else in the world here in Australia—and that is a fact. Yet, remarkably, we have people like Gina Rinehart the other day telling us that we need to work even harder. I do not agree with Gina, and most people on this side of the House do not agree with her—and I would say that most people out in the community do not agree with her either. When I am out in my electorate, people do not tell me that they want to work longer hours and harder so that they can become rich. Certainly, people want to work to be able to pay their bills, feed their families, live a decent lifestyle and feel secure. What they want is more quality time with their families. When I am out talking to mums and dads what they say to me is that they want more quality time with their families and more say in their hours and how they work.

We on this side of the House know that this is a very big issue in millions of Australian households. That is why, as soon as we got into government, we introduced the first laws in Australian history that gave employees the right to request flexible working hours. We scrapped Howard's draconian Work Choices, which the opposition are still pretty desperate to bring back, and it was a huge shift. To channel Fatboy Slim, we've come a long way, together through the hard times and the good. And things are better now. Until we introduced these new laws, employees had no legislated right to request flexible working hours, which was a huge problem for parents in particular. If you needed to leave work early to pick up the kids, for example, or drop them off at school, or if you had to stay home to take care of a sick child for the day, there could be a very uncomfortable conversation with your boss. But we on this side of the House respect the needs of families and get that life is about more than just how much money you make, how many hours you work and how many dollars you add to the economy. It is about our quality of life, and that is the No. 1 most important thing in this debate. It is about taking care of each other and about not missing those important moments and family occasions because you have to be at your desk at work, or in the factory at work, or in the many other workplaces.

So we brought in these new laws which said that, if you are a parent who needs to change your working hours to take care of your kids or work from home, you have the right to ask your employer for that without fear. And if the employer does not agree, they have to give a valid reason—they cannot just say no without justification. That was a huge improvement from the previous situation. So I am very proud to have been part of an Australian Labor government that did that. It means that these families, from all over my electorate—and from all over Australia—are better able to enjoy their lives instead of just enduring the daily grind without any real breaks.

But today we are here because the member for Melbourne—and I applaud him—has proposed some additions to our laws, unlike the opposition, which simply say no to every new idea, and who want to take us backwards to those Work Choices days, not forwards. We make our policy decisions based on merit and what is best for the communities, the workers and the families we represent, not on how well they destroy workers' rights. So I am delighted to consider the proposals the member for Melbourne has put forward, because as a Labor government we know there is always more to do in industrial relations and we must continue to fight hard for the rights of Australian workers so they can have a better life.

Now to the provisions of the bill. First of all, this bill proposes to expand the right to request flexible working arrangements to all employees, including long-time casuals. Second, employers who say no to workers requesting flexible working arrangements will have to give a really good reason and demonstrate that it would severely impact their business. And, third, it gives Fair Work Australia more power to deal with disputes and flexible work arrangements and requests. These all seem like very sensible proposals. Personally, I prefer long-time casuals to be offered permanent positions, and I am working with many of our unions to see how we can encourage this to happen.

I am pleased to see the focus on carers, who are some of the hardest working people I know, who are doing the double shift of working all day and then coming home to take care of a family member who may require a lot of physical assistance. If nothing else, this bill shines a spotlight on one of the most common, everyday worries of how we can all ensure we are having a fulfilling life— (Time expired)

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