Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I've stood for federal parliament seven times and won six in a row, and I would tell the new member for Sturt over there a couple of things. He's pretty confident that he's going to win at the next election, but you can never take the people of Australia for granted. You get judged when you're in federal parliament by what you do and how you vote. The member for Sturt goes on about the cost of living and how the legislation before the chamber is going to help with cost-of-living pressures. Well, I hope that he goes back to his constituency and tells them that, when given the opportunity to provide $1.5 billion in electricity price relief, he voted against it. I hope he tells them that, when given the opportunity to support cheaper medicines with 60-day scripts, he didn't support it. I hope he tells his constituents that, when given the opportunity to support cheaper child care, he didn't support it and, when given the opportunity to support social and affordable homes in the Housing Australia Future Fund, he didn't support it. I hope he goes back to his constituency and says that, when given the opportunity to support a minimum wage increase, he didn't support it and, when given the opportunity to support wage rises in the aged-care sector, he didn't support it.

Don't come in here and denounce us for a good cost-of-living measure in this bill and then give us the faux unction and sanctimonious drivel that we just heard. Let me tell you: you get judged by how you vote. The voters work you out, so don't come in here and be so self-confident. As for the idea that the member for Dickson, the opposition leader, came up with this transition-to-work stuff—it was just an idea. There were no costings at all that they provided in relation to this, nor indeed in their second reading amendment.

This is good legislation that will provide cost-of-living relief and assist older Australians as they transition to retirement. This is legislation that comes from this side of the chamber, not the other side of the chamber. I say to the new member for Sturt: have a bit of grace and a bit of humility when it comes to how the voters will vote, and think about how you cast your vote before you so self-confidently think that you're going to turf out this government and get yourself re-elected in a marginal electorate. I've been in this place for six terms, representing a rural and regional electorate in Queensland as a Labor MP, and I can tell you that I'm the only one that's there in regional and rural Queensland as a Labor MP. So I think I might give a bit of advice, knock on his door, perhaps, and say, 'Have a look at that.' Don't be so self-righteous when it comes to this stuff.

This legislation is important. It focuses on helping Australia secure and reconnect, and maintain that connection to, the workforce, and that's what this bill's all about. I know it's important because local constituents have talked to me about it. People have sat in my electorate office and talked to me about the challenges they face. But it's also about life choices that people want to undertake, and the bill implements a key outcome of the Jobs and Skills Summit. I held one in Blair, in my electorate, at the Brothers Leagues Club, and this was one of the many issues that were raised on that day. Housing was also raised at that thing on the Jobs and Skills Summit. Those opposite didn't support housing reform and the need for more houses in this country.

The Jobs and Skills Summit was a very important summit that happened after we came to office. One of the immediate outcomes of the employment white paper is to help remove the barriers often faced by those on the age pension and veterans looking to re-enter the workforce, so this is important legislation that we're looking at today. At the Jobs and Skills Summit there was a very important message: it doesn't matter whether you're young or you're old. To use the words of the panel for positive ageing and those wonderful people like Brian Howe, the late great Susan Ryan and Everald Compton, one of Australia's true Independents: it's about turning grey into gold. There are a lot of older Australians who want to work more and want to gain the opportunity to be included in the workforce. That is a great productivity measure. It's also a great resource for us to tap into, with their wisdom, expertise and capacity, and this legislation promotes equal opportunities.

The government took steps to address this, including the temporary work bonus boost, the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative and partnering with the Business Council of Australia—those opposite claim that they know what the business community wants, but the business community supports this legislation—and the Australian Network on Disability to develop the career pathways pilot for people living with disability. The next stage was to develop the employment white paper, Working future, which was released in September. It sets out a pathway for more Australians, as we make structural changes in our economy and our society. The economy is always changing, and our society is changing. It's always dynamic, and the labour market's the same. It's always moving about. Jobs that were there a while ago—remember those typing pools all those years ago?—have gone. The video stores are no more. The labour market moves around all the time, but we want everyone to have an opportunity to access well-paid, secure jobs, and that's really important.

The white paper is a commitment to work together to deliver sustainable and inclusive employment. It signals ways we can reignite productivity growth, lift skills needs, build our future workforce and broaden opportunity, and that includes for older Australians. This bill gives effect to that vision and aims to provide more choice and flexibility for older Australians and eligible veterans, through an enhanced pension work bonus. It smooths the transition to work for income support recipients by doubling the employment income nil rate period and extends access to the nil rate period for recipients who enter full-time work. These changes remove barriers, and that's what that report from the panel for positive ageing talked about—removing barriers. One of the great things I enjoyed in my life was listening to, and having lunch with, Brian Howe in Melbourne, when he talked about the issues and Labor history. But he also talked to me about the need to harness—I remembered that a few years ago—that older vote for Labor's point of view but also as a matter of equity, a matter of fairness. Older Australians need to get access to any form of short-term, casual or gig economy work they can.

This bill provides support at the right time to get more people in employment. You could almost say it was influenced by that Nordic or Danish 'flexicurity', which is a flexibility with security—or having flexible welfare and workplace arrangements backed up by a strong safety net. What we're seeing more and more is that older Australians are choosing to supplement their age pension with paid work, and good on them for doing so. We need to make sure that the system is incentivising them to work if they want to. No-one should be financially disadvantaged by staying—

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