Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to contribute to the debate on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2023-2024, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2023-2024 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2023-2024. Budget week is just past, and what a great budget it was for those in my electorate in the Hunter Valley. We are delivering serious reforms and delivering real relief to those who need it. We know that people are doing it tough, but make no mistake: this budget will make a real impact for the better for real people. We are a government that cares about people, and I am proud of the investment in this budget for workers and the protection of workers' entitlements.

Coming into this place, I did not have the same background as a typical politician. I was a blue-collar worker, a miner. My whole life I've been a blue-collar worker, just like many members of my family and many of my mates. I am very proud to represent an electorate full of workers who all do their bit to keep our country running and, more importantly, to put food on the table for their families. So it's fair to say that my priorities and my motivations in this place have the protection of workers at the very core, and that's exactly what this government is doing in this budget: protecting workers by protecting their entitlements.

We have already passed some incredible legislation which will help workers all around Australia, including in my electorate in the Hunter. We made sure the first thing we did when we came to this place, a year ago now, was to fight for an increase to the wages of the workers and to fix our paid parental leave system to bring it in line with what will work for parents in 2023. Having a child is one of the most amazing times of someone's life, but it can also come with added pressures. Families in the Hunter and around Australia deserve to have the financial support that they need in place so they can focus on what's important: providing the best possible start in life to the newest member of their family.

We are continuing the work that we have already well and truly started, making sure that, after 10 years, workers in this country finally have a government that works for them and fights for their rights at work and for their lives as a whole to be better. Strong working conditions are vital for a strong economy. Among the workers that we need to protect are the migrant workers. We know that migrant workers are important for our economy. We saw the toll on the economy when we had limited migrant workers due to the pandemic. These workers deserve the same rights and conditions as any other worker in the economy, and we are delivering reforms that will mean that temporary migrant workers' status as employees or workers who are under the Fair Work Act and are entitled to its protections remains valid, even if they are working in breach of the Migration Act framework.

As I mentioned earlier, this government has done amazing work in reforming and modernising the paid parental leave system, but we also need to address unpaid parental leave. These changes will allow families greater choice and flexibility to share the work and caring responsibilities in the first 24 months after their child's birth or placement for adoption. As a father of two girls and a husband to my beautiful wife, Alex, I know how important this is, and I know much-increased flexibility will help parents.

We have been creating flexibility for parents in two ways. Firstly, we have increased the portion of unpaid parental leave that can be taken flexibly to 20 weeks, bringing this in line with the changes we made through our reforms to the Paid Parental Leave scheme. Secondly, we have removed restrictions which currently make it hard for families to access unpaid parental leave. That means parents will not be limited in how much unpaid leave they can take at the same time, and, if they request an extension of their leave, it won't be reduced by the amount of leave their other partner has taken.

I know how those opposite think that businesses are more important than families and that businesses should be prioritised over workers, but let me tell you that not only are these changes good for families; they are good for business. Flexibility means that experienced employees can gradually recommence work sooner. It also means employers only need to fill partial vacancies instead of full ones.

Superannuation is a proud legacy of the Labor Party. It would only be a Labor Party who introduced it, and it will only be a Labor Party who protects it. We are hoping to provide a new entitlement to superannuation contributions in the National Employment Standards. This will introduce a requirement for employers to make contribution to a superannuation fund for the benefit of an employee, which is what superannuation should always be for—benefiting those who work hard to make their money and supporting them when they hit their well-earned retirement.

This budget continues to deliver for workers. We have also announced steps to address employee authorised deductions. We have introduced measures that will allow employees to authorise their employers to make ongoing deductions from their pay for amounts that vary from time to time without requiring a written authorisation for each change. These variable deductions will only be allowed where they are for the employee's benefit. If there are any direct or indirect benefits to an employer arising from the arrangements, variable deductions will not be permitted.

Another key issue we are addressing in protecting workers entitlements in this budget is the action of underpayment of wages, which is unfortunately a widespread problem in Australia, with many workers being paid less than the minimum wage or having their entitlements withheld. Our reforms will provide greater protection for workers and ensure that they are able to claim their entitlements. I've heard plenty of stories from apprentices, boilermakers, fitters, childcare workers and hospitality workers who have had wages and entitlements withheld. I'm really pleased that we're addressing these very substandard practices.

We have expanded the definition of an entitlement to include not only wages but also other employee benefits, such as superannuation, redundancy pay and annual leave. We will ensure workers are protected and have a legal right to claim these entitlements and that they cannot be denied.

I have stood in this place many times now to speak of how proud I am to represent an electorate home to many of the largest coalmining workforces in this country. When I first stood in parliament, I committed myself to fighting for the miners in my electorate, and I am very happy to say that this government is continuing to deliver for miners in the Hunter electorate. One key element of this is protecting long service leave for those in the coalmining industry.

Coalminers work hard hours in tough conditions. They deserve their long service leave. I know this as well as anyone, because I was one. But unfortunately, at the moment, there is a plague in the coalmining industry which is leaving some miners without the benefits of long service leave just because they're casual workers. They work just as long and just as hard as their mates who are alongside them as permanent workers do, but, because their employment is labelled as 'casual', they don't get the benefits of long service leave, while those whose employment is labelled as 'permanent' do. This is a disgrace, and it must end.

We have also made reforms to the coalmining long service leave scheme. This will help to ensure that casual employees working in the coalmining industry are treated no less favourably than permanent employees in the accrual, reporting and payment of their long service leave entitlements within the scheme. We have created a fairer way of calculating long service leave entitlements for casual employees, making sure that employees' accrual of their entitlements is not disadvantaged by roster cycles, which has been an ongoing issue in the industry. We're also making it very clear that the levy imposed on casual employees' wages within the scheme and the payment of their long service leave entitlements are included in casual loading. This will give certainty to employers and ensure that casual employees continue to receive their usual take-home pay when accessing their entitlements.

Every coalminer should receive the long service leave that they deserve. There should be no miner paid less at the end of the week because they received the long service leave they should have always been receiving. This government stood up for those in the mining industry when we committed to implementing recommendation 4 in Enhancing certainty and fairness: Independent review of the Coalmining Industry (Long Service Leave Funding) Scheme, which was published in February 2022.

I had the honour of welcoming the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the member for Watson, to my electorate recently. On that visit, we visited my old workplace, Mount Thorley Warkworth, and spoke to coalminers there. Every miner we spoke to was excited to hear about our plans and changes to benefit workers. Thank you, Minister, for your visit. It was really appreciated. I hope you enjoyed the mighty Hunter and the burger we got to sneak in as well.

To the miners in my electorate: I would like to remind you once again that I have your back and the Labor government has your back. We always have, and we always will. I'm excited that the same job, same pay legislation is very close to being introduced into parliament. This will ensure that workers not just in the mining sector but across many industries are paid the same. We need jobs that are well paid and secure and aren't dominated by dodgy labour-hire arrangements. Put simply, whenever you're at work, if you're doing the same job as the person next to you, you should be paid the same. It's simple—same job, same pay. Mining is one of the few industries where casuals are paid less than permanent workers. We will close the loopholes that allow this and ensure workers are paid appropriately.

This budget also provides a much-needed pay rise for the group of workers who deserve it the most—aged-care workers. Aged-care workers are the best among us, and their patient, loving care for some of the most vulnerable Australians is nothing short of incredible. However, their work has been made more difficult owing to the sector's insufficient funding and the inadequate pay rates across the sector. For too long, those working in aged care have been asked to work harder or longer without adequate awards, but this budget changes that. It allocates $11.3 billion to fund the Fair Work Commission's interim decision for a 15 per cent increase to the minimum wage for many aged-care workers. This will benefit award aged-care workers in the Hunter electorate, who will earn between $129.20 and $341.24 more per week, if they are working more than 38 hours a week. It represents fairer pay for their hard and important work and creates more opportunities for those working in our care economy.

How good is it to have a government that cares about Australia, a government that cares about Australians and our future? Australia is the best country in the world, but the pandemic was a wake-up call. It showed us and the world that we aren't perfect. It showed us that our supply chains are vulnerable. It also showed us that when push comes to shove we can pull through. But we need to make sure that we are more self-sufficient more consistently. Along with the Buy Australia Plan and the Future Made in Australia Office, the National Reconstruction Fund is a part of this government's plan for Australia to be a strong and self-sufficient nation, and this fund will help our country to have a renewed basis to sell to the world.

The National Reconstruction Fund is about bringing Australia back to our glory days. I remember the days when Australia used to make things and make things that were of high quality. Our $15 billion fund will bring back Australian industry, and it will mean that we are a country that makes things again, and I can't wait to see what opportunities this will bring for the Hunter.

There is so much in this budget that I could speak about. We are supporting everyday people and businesses right across Australia, across the Hunter electorate and everywhere else we can talk about. Our budget is taking the pressure off families. It is making it easier to see a bulk-billing doctor. It is providing a much-needed pay rise for those who deserve it most. Most importantly, it is a responsible budget that understands how tough it is right now for people. That's why we are ensuring we are delivering a better future for everyone in this country.

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