Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am fed up with the Turnbull government's relentless attacks on Australian workers. This is a government for overseas workers, not locals. This is a government for the casualisation of work, not secure jobs. This is a government hell-bent on eroding workers' rights over a quality job. This is a government that does not care about Australian workers but cares for big business.

The Turnbull government has voted five times in this place to give big business a $65 billion tax cut but will not lift a finger to protect workers. This is demonstrated by the Oaky North miners' situation. Last week, I met with the CFMEU Oakey North miners, and the absolutely abhorrent treatment that they have received, and are receiving, from Swiss based Glencore is disgusting. This company was revealed in the Paradise Papers as having a tax-dodging swap financing scheme that has been the subject of scrutiny by the Australian tax office. This same company, Glencore, has now locked out the miners at Oaky North for more than 210 days. Let me be very clear: these men and women are not on strike; they want to work. These men and women are being treated in a disgusting and disrespectful manner by Glencore because they are fighting against casualisation and for better and fairer conditions. This lockout is a smear on the Turnbull government. It shows that this government is not fair dinkum when it comes to standing up for workers. It shows that this government cannot be trusted when it comes to secure, quality and well-paid jobs. This bill proves this government cannot be trusted to protect Australian jobs.

Unlike the Turnbull government, Labor believes in genuine labour market testing for employers nominating overseas workers. Labour market testing requires employers wishing to bring in overseas workers to test the local labour market first. This is to make sure that there are no suitably qualified and experienced local workers available to fill the vacant positions prior to bringing in overseas workers—common sense, one might say.

In my electorate of Herbert, we are experiencing 9.1 per cent unemployment. We want all of those local jobs because we are in desperate need. But the Turnbull government clearly doesn't care about local jobs for Herbert, because this bill doesn't legislate for strict labour market testing conditions. The Turnbull government's bill asks Australians to trust that the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, will do the right thing via a legislative instrument. Surely this government must be kidding? It's got to be a joke, because I don't think there's a person in Australia who trusts the minister for immigration, Peter Dutton, on anything.

It is only Labor that will stand up to these worker bullies, and it is only Labor that will fight for local quality jobs. Labor's amendments will ensure labour market testing: is advertised for a minimum of four weeks—this is not too much to ask; has been conducted no more than four months before the nomination of a worker on a skilled visa; be targeted in such a way that a significant proportion of suitably qualified and experienced Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents would be likely to be informed about the position; and excludes unrealistic and unwarranted skills and experience requirements for vacant positions with the effect of excluding otherwise suitable Australian applicants. These are the strict protections that Australian workers need and deserve to ensure local jobs. One would think that an Australian government would be hell-bent on legislating to back Australian workers. This bill does nothing to reassure the confidence of Australian citizens that that is the case.

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