Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Next week, the Liberal and National parties commence their fifth year in government. Under this government we have seen sustained attacks on workers and their representatives. The latest company emboldened by Prime Minister Turnbull's attacks on workers and their representatives is the ice-cream maker Streets, the people who make ice creams such as Magnums and Golden Gaytimes. Streets Ice Cream plan to slash the pay of their workers by 46 per cent. The working mums and dads who have devoted themselves to this company will have their overtime penalties cut and their redundancy entitlements cut. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, my union, has come out in support of these workers who will be feeling the pinch from these very harsh cuts. This is not a company that is doing it tough; this is a company that reportedly had a $3.58 billion profit. Sadly, Streets is not showing respect for those who sweat for that company.

Sadly, we do not have a government that is creating the right atmosphere to support workers. The most vulnerable workers are having their penalty rates cuts and we see systemic underpayment and exploitation by some companies. In the past two years we have seen workers exploited through the underpayment of workers, unfair subcontracting, unsafe working conditions and compulsory substandard accommodation. This widespread exploitation is from big corporations, yet, day after day, we see the Turnbull government attacking workers and their representatives. They should be ashamed. (Time expired)