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

This week in Senate estimates it has been revealed that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's cleaners will cop a $6000 a year pay cut. This is happened because this government abolished its Clean Start Guidelines just under a year ago in this parliament. Let's remember what the Prime Minister said when the guidelines were abolished. He stood up and said that no cleaner would be worse off—they would not have their wages cut. On the same day Senator Abetz said in a media statement that 'no cleaner will have their wages reduced as a result of these guidelines being ceased'.

Clearly, the Prime Minister and his minister do not understand the nature of contracting. How could they stand up less than a year ago and say no cleaner would be worse off and today the cleaners working in the Department of Foreign Affairs have been hit with a $6000 pay cut. Losing $6000 from their annual pay would hurt anyone, but it hurts our lowest-paid workers the most. I call on this government and this Prime Minister to be true to their word—to properly support and fund the cleaners and to reverse the decision to repeal the Clean Start Guidelines—so that these cleaners can get have a decent pay back. A cut of $6000 is outrageous—(Time expired)