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

Many times during my career in public office, I've stood with working people to fight for better wages and conditions. In particular, I've always advocated for working people in the retail, fast food and warehouse sectors across our country.

Working in retail isn't just a first job; it's a great way to make a living in the service of others. I therefore wish, as I normally do, to stand with these workers and pay tribute to the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, better known as the SDA, because their commitment to the members that they represent is very clear for me, I think, in terms of the contributions I've made in this chamber on other occasions.

The SDA is always working on a campaign or a plan to get better wages and conditions for those workers. Led by Gerard Dwyer, the national secretary, and Joel Tynan, the state secretary in my own state of Tasmania, the union has a track record of wins for working people, and I will always support them and their membership to improve our industrial relations system, including through historic changes to the definition of 'casual worker', which has been brought about by the Albanese Labor government. No longer will employees have to fight for more work. No, they will receive what is the consistent work that they have come to rely on.

During the last few months, the SDA has also been negotiating MBAs for Bunnings and Kmart around the country to improve those workers' pay and conditions. The SDA has recently won better wages for Woolworths workers as fairer rostering and more paid leave. Under the new agreement, workers' wages will now increase every financial year by an amount dictated by the Fair Work Commission. The increase will come alongside a review of award wages to ensure that every worker is getting a livable wage. A further improvement for retail workers triggered by the SDA agreement allows for part-time team members to take their annual leave on days on which they often work but aren't necessarily contracted to work. This small adjustment will make a major difference for part-time workers all across the country.

The SDA has also made critical improvements to personal and carer leave, and these improvements will benefit the retail workers in our communities. Under the new agreement, the amount of personal leave able to be taken without the need for evidence has been double from two to four days. This change will take stress off workers, who are likely to already be dealing with troubling circumstances, which is why they actually need the leave. Along with this change, change to how an employee is able to use their personal leave has been expanded. Workers will now be able to use their leave to manage their emotional and psychological wellbeing. As we know, mental health is extremely important and is a growing issue in our country. This change will support people in maintaining good mental health practices that will enable these workers to be more productive and to lead happier and healthier lives.

In the previous sitting weeks, we've had young retail workers come to parliament for the current campaigns for greater fairness at work, which include Adult Age, Adult Wage and the anti-customer abuse campaign. The Adult Age, Adult Wage campaign is focused on improving wages for young Australians working in the service industry. The SDA wants to make sure that people who are considered adults by law at 18 and are supervising and acting in other roles—keeping in mind that you can vote and be sent to war at 18—are paid an adult wage, the same as a 21-year-old. Another focus for the SDA is to increase pay for our younger 14- to 17-year-olds. They should have their pay increased too, as they are doing the same jobs as the adults they work amongst. When young people reach the age of 18, they should get an adult wage. They shouldn't have to wait until they're 21. I think that's fair. That campaign is a very important one. I'm very proud to stand with those members and the union.

Since coming to government, we've increased wages for low-income workers and people working in aged care and early childhood education. We've also brought in fee-free TAFE, cheaper medicines, urgent care clinics, cheaper child care and superannuation on paid parental leave, which I just spoke about in the chamber not long ago. What we've seen from those opposite, who are better known as the 'no-alition', particularly on all of those issues that the Liberals voted against, is something quite extraordinary. We've seen something quite extraordinary here in this place this week by those opposite and the Greens. On Monday, the Albanese government introduced a nation-building piece of legislation, with the first round of funding under the Housing Australia Future Fund and the National Housing Accord programs. It's set to deliver more than 13,700 new social and affordable homes across our country.

What we've seen in this place is not only do those opposite not support this legislation, but they have gotten into a cosy and lovely working arrangement with the Greens not to vote, at this stage, down that piece of legislation, but they have been voting in this chamber to stop us from having a vote on the legislation. Just so that people out there understand, you introduce legislation, and you vote and have your debate. So you either support it and vote for it or you don't support it and you vote against it. But the coalition between the Liberals, Nationals and the Greens is a vote to stop having a vote on the legislation. For the Greens who come in here regularly espousing that they're the only people who have human heart to want to do something about social and affordable housing, well, if that's true, why are you voting to stop a vote to introduce the legislation and why don't you actually introduce it and support this legislation?

If this legislation is supported, Labor's Help to Buy will assist 40,000 low- and middle-income Australians access a house, have a roof over their head, and buy their own home. Let's not forget that, at the last federal election, the Greens policy—in their platform—was to have an equity share model. That's exactly what this bill is, but they choose to play politics and put their own political agenda and survival as a Greens political party ahead of providing affordable and social housing for the people who need it in this country.

What has clearly been demonstrated in the Senate this week is how the Liberals, as we know, say no to everything. Mr Dutton is known as the leader of the 'no-alition' because he keeps voting 'no' on everything. We expect that from those opposite because they were in power for 10 years and did nothing about social and affordable housing. For them to vote 'no' on legislation is something we've come to expect, frankly, in this chamber; that's what they do. But the fact that the Greens have teamed up with the Liberals to stop the vote from even taking place is quite extraordinary. It just goes to show how hypocritical the Greens political party are when all they're interested in is serving their own interests. This government has put more money in and wants to assist people with their rent, and the payments would have been bigger than any other in the last 30 years. We want to help more Australians into their own home. (Time expired)