Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to speak about a very important issue: job security. Before I do that, I want to acknowledge my good friend Senator Canavan who is here today. It is important to note that Senator Canavan and I yesterday produced an op-ed together on the issue of digital currency. I want to use this opportunity in the adjournment debate to thank the Institute of Public Affairs for the endorsement they gave of me and the op-ed that Senator Canavan and I wrote together. I just want to say, regarding John Roskam and the team at the Institute of Public Affairs: on many occasions they have tried to do damage to my career in the past, but, frankly, the idea of endorsing me was a very low act and I will not be forgiven!

I rise tonight to speak about job security: secure jobs for hardworking Australians to ensure that workers have the confidence to spend their money and, in doing so, they provide our entrepreneurs and businesses with the confidence to invest, innovate and grow. I rise tonight to speak out against the growing trend in Australia towards casual, unsecure work—the growing trend of companies contracting out jobs that were once permanent; the growing trend of businesses replacing full-time jobs with part-time jobs to avoid providing people with benefits and conditions—and speak out against devaluing work. In doing so, I acknowledge the work of many people and many institutions, but in particular there is the incredible work that has been done by, amongst others, many of the trade unions, including the National Union of Workers. Casual jobs, short-term contracts and other insecure forms of work are on the rise. Secure jobs are getting harder and harder to find.

I rise tonight to speak on behalf of the labour hire worker toiling away in a warehouse in Williamstown, performing the same task as his workmate but receiving lower pay, inferior entitlements and no job security. I rise tonight to speak on behalf of the casual homecare worker, unable to predict their weekly hours or their income. And I rise tonight to speak on behalf of the so-called independent truck driver who receives a fixed contract rate but must somehow still meet his own high and variable running costs.

We on this side of the chamber are proud of our long history of fighting for fairness in Australian workplaces—fair wages, fair hours and fair conditions. In the Australian Labor Party, we are proud to stand for dignity in the workplace for everybody and to stand for sustainable jobs that support families—jobs that ensure money flows into communities, creating the confidence that drives growth. When there is less money in the pockets of regular Australians, they are not going to spend it in our small businesses, cafes or restaurants. They are not going to spend it on a new kitchen or fixing a squeak in the car. The money simply does not go around when it is not there. The number of Australians who are underemployed continues to climb. There is a hidden story. Unfortunately, in a lot of the figures we discuss in this place when we talk about the headline 'unemployment rate', we seem to ignore or forget. In 1984, only 15 per cent of all workers were casual. By 2004, this had almost doubled to 28 per cent—