Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like most members here I am very proud of my electorate. My electorate is multicultural and I get to see what the diversity of my electorate has produced. It has a rich tapestry of colour, vibrancy and ambition. I actually get to see the determination of people—they are committed to hard work to get better lives for themselves and their families. We are not a rich area in south-west Sydney, but I am often taken aback when people tell me that they work three and four jobs to support their families. What we need in south-west Sydney—it is what we need everywhere—is real jobs. We have seen the growth of part-time and casualised employment out there. The banks are being protected by this government and do not want to be sitting before a royal commission, but none of these banks want to lend part-time mortgages for all those people who I represent in my community that live on casual employment. People cannot support a family like that and they are the jobs that are being created.

We heard a lot about jobs during the eight week election campaign—'jobs and growth' rolled off the tongue, but it was all about creating part-time and casual employment in this country. The fact is since the start of this year we have seen a reduction of 112,000 jobs in this country. So much for jobs and growth. But I will give it to the government—they have actually created growth in the casualised employment sector, there is no question about that, but none of the banks that they are protecting are going to be prepared to lend on casualised employment. So much for jobs and growth—you really cannot take it to the bank.

This is the same government, the same mob over there, who goaded Holden and Ford to leave the country. They got rid of our car industry and all the downstream activity that goes with that. So much for jobs and growth. This is the same mob that have made a response on how to address the issues of employment. What do they do? They go and make a referral to the Productivity Commission for it to have a look at penalty rates for the lowest paid workers in this country. If they get a successful outcome it could affect everyone on penalty rates. But they wanted to target retail workers—people who are working in the hospitality industry, people who really do rely on their penalty rates to make a living. They targeted them. So when they want to come in here and preach jobs and growth, just remember their record in this regard.

These are the same people who brought us Work Choices. I remember when they did that. I got to see people who were genuinely affected. For the first time in Australia's history, those opposite made it legal to pay people below the award rates of pay. That is their record when it comes to jobs. They want to target penalty rates. Notwithstanding the fact that at the moment we have the slowest wage growth on record—it is sluggish and it is affecting the economy—they want to put downward pressure on wages into the future. They are showing a total misunderstanding about creating employment opportunities—employment opportunities that sustain local businesses and sustain the local economies that we all represent here.

Youth unemployment in my area is running at about 15.7 per cent. That is dreadful. People are missing out on career opportunities, but this is really bad for communities. Young people have nothing to do and no job opportunities, and people wonder why they get into trouble—why we have issues on our streets. Why do law and order issues emerge out of that? You only have to stop and talk to your local police officers to know that, unless we can provide opportunities for young people, these problems will become manifest in the future of this country. We need to have a view—we need a plan. That is a good idea! Let us have a plan for jobs and growth—not just a slogan. Let us have a plan. We have a commitment in that regard. We have shown that we will work towards delivering sustainable employment opportunities for young people in this country. We need to make a difference. We need young people to make a difference. We need to give them some sustenance on why their ambitions can be realised. If we show that there is no benefit in working hard in this country, we are really relegating our country's future. (Time expired)

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