Bob Day (SA, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Abetz. All over Australia, people over the age of 70 volunteer in op shops, Meals on Wheels, food banks, canteens, tuckshops, hospital shops, community gardens and so on. They comprise hundreds of thousands of Australians who work for no pay. There are also the grey nomads who travel around working on terms and conditions which suit them. Men and women who work beyond the age of 70 move from the government's payroll to the private sector's payroll reducing the burden on taxpayers. Raising mature-age-workforce participation adds billions of dollars to Australia's GDP, and in the words of the Australian Institute of Company Directors recently, it is 'the next big thing'. My question is: how can we make it lawful for these Australians to be employed under terms and conditions which suit them rather than the government?