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

The speakers from the government side have demonstrated why this matter of public importance is so important. They demonstrated that the government doesn't actually understand the economic reality of what is happening because of the pandemic. We all accept that there's been a pandemic. It is now the responsibility of this government to help address the economic fallout of that pandemic, and they're failing.

All of the programs that they've been putting forward are little and quite often too late, and they will not deliver the reform that backs up their rhetoric. Take, for example, the one that we're talking about today. The government boasts that it's going to create 450,000 jobs. Wrong! At Senate estimates, their own Treasury, their own department, revealed that it may create 45,000 jobs. And what we are now learning, through the work of the opposition and through many of the unions speaking out, is that many of those jobs could be existing jobs. There's a real problem in our labour market with labour hire—something this government has continued to ignore for the years that they've been in government. There's a real problem in our labour market with casualisation—another issue that this government continues to ignore. These are the workers most at risk of being stood down and losing their jobs and being replaced by these cheaper, subsidised workers. But the government says there's no problem.

I can't believe we had an IR minister stand up and say, 'That's okay. If any worker's stood down unfairly because of this measure, they can take out an unfair dismissal claim.' How can you do that if you're a casual worker? Fair Work won't even hear the case—it's thrown out. We have an IR minister that doesn't even understand how IR works in this country. It's rhetoric from this government, trying to suggest that they're creating jobs when they're not. They're doing it on the cheap. It's all about the election announcement. It's all about the photo op. It's all about pretending that you are doing something when you are not.

This government has form on wage subsidies. We know that their programs do not work, and we have seen that time and time again for the last seven years. There was the PaTH program—an absolute disaster! It created $4-an-hour internships for McDonald's—for big chains. It did not create genuine jobs. All it did was to say that the new generation of workers coming through could be subsidised. This government gave taxpayers' dollars that could have created real job opportunities to big multinationals. Are we surprised? No. But when we put forward changes in this legislation that could stop the rorts, that could help put in safeguards, they ignore it and say that we're playing politics.

It's not just the PaTH program. There's the Restart program for older workers, the ParentsNext program—and the list continues. This government is shocking when it comes to their employment programs. They simply do not understand how a labour market works. And it is such a dangerous time for them to not understand that, because right now is the time for governments to invest—to invest in people and in businesses and to make sure that the safeguards are there so nobody is left behind.

Maybe they think that 35 is old. I look at their benches and I think, 'Well, how could they? There are not too many young people on there. There are not too many Gen Ys. How is it that they've thrown all of their kids' generation under a bus? Why are they doing that?'

Another group that has been largely left behind is women. It's women who were the casual workers who were stood down, who lost their hours. Some have been re-engaged. But what the government also won't tell you when they boast about all the jobs created is that they're not full-time jobs the workers are coming back to; they're casual jobs; they're part-time jobs; they're insecure jobs. There are nowhere near the hours that there used to be. But maybe it's because of the lack of women on their side that they're not hearing that.

This is the most insular government we've had in a long time. They are so disconnected from reality. Talk about the Canberra bubble! I just wish they'd get out there and talk to real workers and find out what's going on.

Their cuts to JobKeeper are having an impact. People are now trying to survive on a lower rate of JobKeeper. I have a chef in my electorate who was forced to quit his job because of the cuts to JobKeeper and is now working at Hazeldene's chicken factory because he can get full-time work there. His business that he was working in is only back to four days a week of operation. They are slowly rebuilding after the pandemic. But this government, rather than being there to support them to get through to the other side, is cutting back subsidies.

This is a government that is out of touch with Australian workers. It is out of touch with Australian businesses. And it is out of touch with what is needed right now. We need economic leadership, not economic politics, not economic photo ops. (Time expired)

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