Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for raising this incredibly important issue in this parliament. Workers are the heart and soul of our country. On 1 July, what did we see? We saw a government cut the take-home pay of hundreds and thousands of workers. Today, as it has done every single other day, our party stands in solidarity with workers to condemn the government's changes to the Fair Work Act, because their changes are anything but fair. I note there are eight members of parliament in the chamber right now—seven are speaking and one is silent.

How can it be fair that workers who have to miss out on countless weekends, family events, barbecues, birthdays, going to church on Sundays—doing things like that—lose the little compensation they receive for working on Sundays? How is that fair? How could it be fair that a government's cuts to penalty rates will further widen the gender pay gap, which, in 2017, really should have been dealt with by now? This cruel decision will have a disproportionate effect on women. Women make up 54 per cent of the workforce in fast food and 55 per cent in general retail. They make up 77 per cent of workers in the pharmacy industry award, and in the hair and beauty industry award—where the government has refused to rule out cuts—they account for 87 per cent of the workforce. As the member for Lindsay noted, there were a number of hairdressers in the House here last week, and they spoke very, very candidly and openly about what a pay cut would mean to them. It is absolutely shameful.

It is obvious that thousands more women than men will be affected by these penalty rate cuts. These are thousands of women who rely on their penalty rates to meet their household expenses. They might use the extra income to pay the rent and feed their families. They have had their take-home pay cut by this cruel and out-of-touch government. I am just astonished—I really am—because, as I said, 2 July this year, the first day that workers saw a cut to the penalty rates, was exactly one year since Prime Minister Turnbull and his government won the 2016 election—and since then they've done nothing. They have done nothing to support Australia's most vulnerable. They've done nothing to create jobs and nothing to protect Medicare. The only thing they've done in government is nothing but a cheap and cowardly attack on workers in this country.

This is a government that stands for the rich and for big business. They turn their backs on ordinary Australians. It's a government that gives big businesses a huge tax cut that leaves millionaires $16,400 better off. That is some women's wages for the whole year, and that's what they gave to millionaires as a tax cut. But, you know, they know this is wrong. That's why there's nobody on the opposite side speaking. Like I said, seven members on this side—every single one of us got up to speak—and on the other side, absolute silence. I see the member for Petrie sitting opposite from me. He's actually my electorate boundary neighbour.

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