Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Now we know that the Deputy Prime Minister is a bit distracted at the moment, and there are real questions over whether he is actually legitimately able to sit in this House as a member. But that doesn't forgive him for his constant attacks on Australian and Queensland coalminers living in Rockhampton and Central Queensland in the electorates of Capricornia and Dawson. Time and time again, he says that it is Labor that has let down these coalminers when it is not. It is his own government that refuses to stand with these coalminers—the coalminers of Oaky North who, again this week, have been locked out by their employer—multinational mining company Glencore—who is refusing to bargain with them. Instead, they have ordered that the workers take down 'Scabby the Rat', a blow-up protest rat.

Can you believe that, rather than letting these workers come back into the mine and back to work, they have locked them out and are replacing them with labour-hire workers? This practice is happening across the Bowen Basin. Time and time again, directly employed workers are being replaced with labour hire. There is no job security and there are pay cuts. They are being told they are full-time equivalent, yet have no sick leave or annual leave. This is what is happening in Queensland mines, yet the government and The Nationals are refusing to do anything to stand up for these workers. It is wrong.

See this speech in context