Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This Friday marks Black Friday, a huge day of spending for consumers around the world. But, as we hit the shops and add to cart, there are a few important things to remember. First, as we hit the shops, as frantic as it may be and as stressful as it may be, it is absolutely essential to treat all retail workers with the respect they deserve. No-one deserves a serve at work, and every worker has the right to be safe and respected at their place of work. Second, as we buy online, it's important to remember that, whilst we all love the convenience that online shopping brings, this convenience cannot come at any cost.

We know the gig economy both responds to and shapes our changing world, but, as the economy has changed around us, too many workers have been left behind. Some of the biggest businesses benefiting most from this change have some of the worst industrial conditions of all. Some aren't just profiting from insecure work; they actively champion it. That's what the Make Amazon Pay day is about—workers, unions and activists across our world standing together in the fight for justice and fairness, especially within the gig economy.

Here in Australia, unions like the Transport Workers Union and the SDA have been at the forefront of advocating for better conditions for these workers, including workers from these global businesses. The union movement has worked shoulder to shoulder with us here, a Labor government who has legislated the closing the loopholes bill, ending the race to the bottom that has existed in the gig economy and that hasn't served workers, good businesses or consumers well at all. Convenience matters, but not at any cost. These reforms would only ever have been delivered by a Labor government, something we are all proud of—reforms that matter. This Black Friday, let's keep in mind that no-one deserves a serve, and all workers, whether they're in the gig economy or not, deserve protections and to be paid fairly for the work they do.