Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I hear some chatter from those opposite. They should know that in their communities there are many people suffering and who will suffer this Christmas. Casual workers are perhaps the worst off this Christmas. The government don't support dnata workers and they don't support older workers.

This government should be ashamed of itself. It has no plan and no idea. It had an opportunity to enact revolutionary change but it wouldn't do it. It wouldn't support the most disadvantaged, and that is to its unending shame. The government has left Australians on JobSeeker aged over 35—almost one million people—out of the budget and ineligible for its wage support structure. The government has unfortunately not seen the need to act to support all Australians. I often hear from constituents who, through no fault of their own, find themselves out of work yet are too young to retire. They are also unsupported. These people face structural barriers in gaining employment as well as age discrimination. These are people with families and mortgages. It's a terrible shame. The government must do better. (Time expired)

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