Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

That contribution by Senator McGrath shows that the coalition are not listening to workers or the people of Australia. His contribution illustrates quite clearly that they, the federal government, are the problem. I'm really sick and tired of people like Senator McGrath standing up here and saying that we on this side don't know about small business. My partner operates a small business. I know exactly what small businesses go through and I know exactly what this government is not doing for them. So I'm pleased to be able to stand up and talk about the need for the economy to work in the interests of working Australians, because that contribution by Senator McGrath wasn't in the interests of working Australians.

It's widely acknowledged that we are experiencing the highest levels of income inequality since the Great Depression. Senator McGrath and his colleagues only have to get out there and talk to ordinary workers, and they'll tell them that the gap between rich and poor Australians remains one of the great fault lines in our country. It's clear that the economy is not working in the interests of working Australians, who are rightly worried about their future, and they're worried about their kids' future. Where will they get a job? Where will they get good jobs? Average weekly hours worked by full-time workers have declined to levels not seen since the 1990s. Workers' share of income is at its lowest level in 50 years. Too many Australians are working harder for less money. As well as having less money in their pay packet, they have less security in their jobs. You don't have to believe me; you only have to go outside and talk to people. You only have to talk to ordinary workers about the fact that they feel less secure in their jobs. And we have a growing and chronic problem of unemployment. A record high number of people—in fact, more than one million Australians—are underemployed. They are working fewer hours than they want to and need to. Around one-third of part-time workers say they want to work more hours.

Those opposite would have us believe that insecure and part-time jobs are okay because they eventually lead to something better. But this theory is disputed by the experts. The OECD said, 'Non-regular contracts are rarely a stepping-stone to better jobs.' The cycle of low-paid and part-time work continues and, as the OECD points out, it rarely leads to a better job or a promotion. There is 40 per cent of the workforce in non-permanent forms of work. This leads to less economic security. The Australian community knows this—they see it firsthand—so it's no use in the government denying it. They are not believed out there and, if they continue to deny it and continue to not listen to the Australian people, they will pay the price, because they have illustrated that they are the problem here.

People are underworking and are underpaid, and many are too scared to speak up because they fear they will lose the part-time jobs they have. Wage growth is at its lowest since 2001 and has been on a downward trend since around 2013. How do workers get a loan for a car or a house when they don't have a secure income coming in? In my home state of Tasmania, the unemployment rate stands at 5.8 per cent. Sadly, the participation rate stands at just 61 per cent. Hundreds of Tasmanians have given up looking for work. Recent ABS data reveals that more than 700,000 Australians are working more than two jobs just to survive. Growth in secondary jobs, up to 9.2 per cent, has surpassed the growth in main jobs for the past three years. In 2015, the Australian Council of Social Services released a report on the growing economic inequality. We need a government that delivers for all Australians, not just the wealthy few. (Time expired)