Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While most of Australia is transfixed with what's going on with the Deputy Prime Minister, something happened in this chamber yesterday that people should be aware of. Those opposite voted against market testing for jobs. Those opposite said in this place with that vote that there is nothing that they won't do to undermine Australian workers. There is nothing they won't do to undermine the industrial relations system in this country. There is nothing they won't do to undermine fair wages. We are not surprised by this, because, after all, those opposite did nothing while 700,000 Australian workers lost their penalty rates. We see it time and time again in this place. They'll come in—they'll be here again today—and talk big on jobs, but at the same time they'll do everything they can to undermine Australian workers. It seems it was an easy decision for them to take yesterday. They shouldn't have taken that decision. They should have backed the Labor Party. They should have introduced the market testing. It was an easy thing to do. I condemn them for their actions.