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

Many of you on the other side of the House may not realise, but we do on this side of the House, that ExxonMobil, one of the biggest multinationals in the world has—guess what?—paid no tax to the Australian people over the last two years. They had $18 billion in revenue but yet have paid no tax.

This same company, 167 days ago and counting, sacked their entire Longford workforce and said to them, 'Reapply for your jobs at a 40 per cent pay cut.' These are just disgraceful CUB tactics that this company is forcing upon these workers: wage cuts of 30 to 46 per cent and more; cuts to annual leave; cuts to allowances; cuts to workers' shift loadings; and forced stand-down clauses. These are the kinds of tactics used by these big multinationals, and they're getting away with it in this country because of this Liberal government's failure to crack down on the loopholes that exist within the Fair Work Act.

We are calling on this government to join Labor in stopping sham agreements, in stopping a company reaching an agreement with a handful of employees in WA and then imposing it on Victorian workers in Longford. Stop these sham agreements; legislate to stop them here in this country. Enough is enough: these companies should be made to pay their fair share of tax, made to treat their workers with respect and made to stop using these sham agreements.

When will the member for Gippsland stand up for his local workers? When will he come in here, stand with them and stop these sham agreements? (Time expired)