Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The hallmark of the Turnbull government is letting large multinational corporations take advantage of hardworking Australians, cutting wages and putting employees at risk—all in the name of profit. Last time this parliament sat, I met with members from the AWU, the ETU and the Australian metalworkers union who told me about the abhorrent practices of Esso Australia, who, like too many large corporations, are cutting costs at the expense of workers and their safety.

Esso has nearly doubled its profits since the first half of 2016—up from $1.7 billion to $3.4 billion this year—and boasts one of the biggest gas finds in Bass Strait. Despite these booming profits, Esso recently let go 110 loyal WA catering staff and replaced them with interstate and international workers. To make matters worse, the new staff wages have been reduced by some $45,000 per year, letting international companies take their profits overseas without paying a fair share of tax.

Esso also wants to play games with rosters outside of the current system. This will mean that workers are at risk of more incidents because of appalling cutbacks putting maintenance into the hands of inexperienced, underskilled staff working under duress and fatigued on extended rosters. This isn't just some conspiracy theory. Esso have been explicitly told several times that they are not doing enough to address their fatigue management risks. Dr Adam Fletcher, who was commissioned to study the roster changes, said, 'There is catastrophic potential risk exposure.' That really says it all.

One should not have to tell their children that greed is what may tear their family apart, but Troy had to have this very conversation with his son recently. When Troy's son asked him why his boss had taken money from him, he scrambled to think of an answer. He thought about how some UGL-K contractors worked for Esso and put their lives on the line during the successful attempt to extinguish a major battery fire on minimal sleep. He thought about how he worked and lived in conditions that are well below the global standard for oil and gas platform facilities. Troy thought about being given a 'take it or leave it' contract that would mean losing more pay and working in worse conditions—all while his employer forecast a fourfold rise in revenue over the next five years. Troy was brought to tears when his four-year-old son ran back to the kitchen, poured out his piggybank and said, 'Don't worry, Dad, I've got all the money we need.'

It is heartbreaking and it is wrong to see good people like Troy being exploited for their diligent work. When will this government reward Australians for this rather than see them as expendable dollar signs? I am disgusted at the lack of action by this government and I will not stop holding the Prime Minister accountable for each and every worker like Troy. I congratulate the unions for continuing to fight back against these unfair practices. Labor will always stand up for workers, while that lot opposite will stand on them.