Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like millions of Australians, I've been watching the Netflix series, Squid Game. For those who aren't unfamiliar, it shows Korean workers compete in a series of lethal games for an opportunity to pay off their debts. It's a world where workers live and die under the boot of the rich and powerful. Watching Squid Game, I was reminded of Senator Stoker, who previously in this place accused 2,000 Qantas workers, whose jobs were illegally outsourced, of being inflexible and unreasonable. In Senator Stoker's Squid Game, workers should be forced into any work arrangements or rates of pay regardless of how unfair, and, if they don't bow down and comply, they should be turfed out on to the street. I'm not sure if Senator Stoker has been watching Squid Game, but it would appear that the makers of Squid Game have been watching her attitude towards Australian workers very closely. I hope they've credited Senator Stoker as a source of inspiration in the production credits for the future.

A few months ago, the Federal Court ruled that Qantas had broken the law when they outsourced those jobs. They haven't heard an apology from Senator Stoker. Now SafeWork are launching criminal proceedings against Qantas for standing down, Theo, a health and safety representative, for raising COVID-19 safety concerns. I'm sure Senator Stoker will be issuing another passionate defence of Alan Joyce very soon.