Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Capricornia for her question. As I know, she is very interested in what happens to workers' conditions. That is why she voted for increasing compulsory superannuation, in modest increases over the next seven years, from nine to 12 per cent. So that electors in her electorate who work every day do not retire poor, she has backed a measure that will back 48½ thousand voters in Capricornia. So voters in Capricornia know she is on their side.

I can report to her that there are further measures that this government is going to put in place to help look after Australian workers—sensible measures, moderate measures—one of which is that, when harsh, cutting, slashing, burning, conservative governments go after state public sector entitlements, we will support making sure that, under transmission of business laws, public sector workers, who work hard and are not well remunerated, will be covered. When a callous, conservative government comes in to cut their conditions, we want them to be covered by the same national laws that everyone else in the Australian national system is covered by.

But it does not stop there. We have more good things for Australian workers. Another one—and we are currently engaging in consultations—is extending the right to request leave in certain circumstances. This will be a challenge for those opposite. Whenever they see industrial relations they scream as if it is a brown snake in the kitchen. When we talk about what we want to do for workers, those opposite need to do some policy work, because we want to extend the right to request leave to victims of domestic violence, and we want to extend it to people with disabilities and carers. I know there are good people opposite who will— (Time expired)

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