Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over 250,000 current and former employees of McDonald's right across this country may be eligible for compensation as part of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association's latest legal action against McDonald's. The SDA have been raising members' issues and concerns since 2017. Quite simply, McDonald's has not been providing young people with their 10-minute break. Can you believe this? What they're saying is that, because these young people who work for McDonald's may go to the bathroom and they get a free soft drink on their shifts, that equates to their paid 10-minute break. We know that over 10,000 current and former McDonald's workers have been directly assisting the SDA in this investigation and are willing to provide evidence to the Federal Court.

We all know that McDonald's would have to be one of the most recognised companies around the world. This, again, is not just about ripping off young people; this is about committing a criminal act. They are exploiting young Australians. When young people go and work at McDonald's, what they should be experiencing is good work relations. They should know that they're not going to be exploited. You should not be putting profit before people. Quite frankly, that's what McDonald's have been doing. The SDA have been fighting on behalf of these young people right across this country. Sooner or later, governments need to ensure that these corporations and businesses are not exploiting their workers. At the end of the day, what we want to see is young people having a good experience. Every employee around this country deserves to be respected and to be given opportunities, and they should be paid accordingly. (Time expired)