Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Nothing that has been said there adds anything to what we already know about this program. Nothing has been said that would give me any comfort that this minister can do any better in this area of responsibility than she has done in the area of apprentices. Apprentices are being ripped off mercilessly under this minister's watch. There is nothing being done—there is never a comment, never a statement and never any action—yet this minister comes here and tries to lecture us in her high-handed manner that she can resolve all these problems by data analytics and the employers basically conceding to provide information. Minister, that is not how the world out there works. If you actually did take time to look at the rip-offs of young apprentices that have been happening out there, you would understand why Labor has concerns about what you are saying.

We will not be satisfied with a two-year review that has no terms of reference and that we think will be widespread. Senator Xenophon has simply been making it up on the run. He does not know how this review is going to be undertaken. There are no terms of reference and no agreement. We will wait for two years to find out what happened to young people. Senator Xenophon, this minister cannot look after apprentices properly and yet you are going to give your faith to this minister to look after young kids, who will be exploited even more. Fifty per cent of apprentices feel exploited in this country under the watch of Minister Cash.

Where are they going to work? I like the idea that you can compare what is happening with this program with internships in parliament with departments, shadow ministers or parliamentarians. It is an absolute nonsense. We already have got Subway, a multinational, advertising that it is going to put on interns. What are they going to do? They are going to be sandwich artists.