Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to speak on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Multinationals Pay Their Fair Share—Integrity and Transparency) Bill 2023.

I want to start by talking about an average household in my electorate of Paterson. The husband works in the mines. He's a local, and he follows generations of men and now women who've worked in that industry. The work is hard and dirty, but he gets paid pretty well. He knows that there are risks, and he's conscious of getting home every day to his wife and kids. He works 12-hour shifts and occasional overtime to ramp up the income. The overtime makes a huge difference to their life. It's a good, secure job, thanks to him getting a permanent shirt now that the same job, same pay legislation introduced by the Albanese Labor government is coming through. And the conditions are good, thanks to his Mining and Energy Union membership. The overtime kits out the kids for local sport and their extracurricular activities to give them every opportunity. He can ensure that they have the technology and the gear that give them the best chance of doing well at school. He provides a safe and secure roof over their heads, and for that he's very proud. He's underground for half the day and asleep for an average of about six. After an hour's drive each way to the pit and a few chores, he probably spends about three or four hours of quality time a day with his family.

The wife is a nurse at the local GP practice and she too is working long hours, simply because there's a shortage of skilled medical workers in the region. She balances the workload and her family pretty well, but she probably feels, most of the time, that she's not there as much for her family as she'd like to be. She has an obligation to her employer and her community to work full time, and she knows that she's a valued member of both. She also knows that full-time work insures that her family have the means to live as well as possible.

She takes great pride in her home and family and is grateful that cheaper child care is available to her family. It ensures that her kids are well looked after, and they are getting the tutoring that will ensure that they are well adjusted and good social beings. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

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