Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Young people in the workforce have many advantages. It builds skills, responsibility and confidence and it introduces these fine young people to managing their own finances. That's why it's so important that our young workers are well remunerated for the contribution that they make to their workplace.

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, also known as the SDA union, recently launched its Adult Age Adult Wage campaign with the aim of ending junior rates in the retail, fast-food and pharmacy awards for workers aged 18 and over. The SDA also seeks to raise the wages of junior workers under 18. Turning 18 does not mean that you ought to be penalised, but it does mean that you are legally considered an adult and that you are able to be and should be paid an adult wage.

Workers deserve to be paid for the work that they perform, regardless of the year that they were born. Workers deserve to receive the payment that every other worker in the workplace is entitled to. Young workers don't deserve to receive less income than their co-workers over 21, despite performing the same job. That was the main message that young SDA representatives gave senators and MPs during their recent visit to Parliament House, and I'd like to thank those dedicated workers for sharing their stories with us. It's also worth noting that these workers don't receive superannuation on every dollar that they earn when they are under the age of 18. The costs of owning a car and paying bills or rent aren't reduced for people who are under the age of 18, and neither should be their pay. Some of Australia's major companies already pay adult rates at 18 and it's time that this became the norm across the retail, fast food and pharmacy sectors.