Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Here is a chance. We have regional MPs sitting across from us. Here is a chance for those Nationals MPs, regional MPs, to cross the floor and stand up for regional communities. Seven hundred thousand workers, many of whom live in regional areas, face a pay cut. We have two sitting weeks of parliament, and today those opposite can join with Labor to protect the take-home pay of 700,000 workers, workers who are on the smallest of incomes. We are talking about people working in retail, in hospitality and in pharmacy. We are talking about mums who have told us that the Sunday penalty rate they currently get is how they are paying for their internet or their kids' basketball lessons. Yet all we have from those opposite is a do-nothing attitude when it comes to protecting the take-home pay of some of the lowest-paid workers in this country.

But there is a chance right now for this government, for those opposite—those members who are claiming to stand up for workers—to join Labor in supporting take-home pay. It is really simple: come in here and vote with Labor to allow us to bring this bill on for debate. This is that chance. We have seen the government, time and time again, when it suits them, bring on debates in this House. They abolished the safe rates tribunal. Once upon a time they said that they stood up for truck drivers, and they abolished the safe rates tribunal—rushed legislation through at the end of parliament to scrap the tribunal. They did not just disagree with the decision; they actually scrapped the entire tribunal. We have seen them do it time and time again with legislation, yet on this issue they are dragging their feet; they are refusing to stand with Labor.

But there is a chance—on 1 July, as we have heard from this side, this government is giving millionaires a tax cut; they are giving people on the highest of incomes a tax cut. We are talking about giving people who earn the highest incomes in this country a tax cut. This is the same government that are sitting on their hands and doing nothing, when they have a chance to support Labor help those on the lowest of incomes, including people working in retail, hospitality and pharmacy; 700,000 workers in regional areas, in our suburbs, people who rely on these penalty rates to make ends meet. They are doing nothing. Here is their chance. They can stand with Labor, cross the floor and vote with us to bring on this bill now. I support what is being moved by the member for Gorton to allow this debate to happen. We are calling on the government, on those opposite, to vote with Labor. Let us fix this problem. We support the Fair Work tribunal, we support Fair Work, but when they make decisions that are not based on the best interests of workers we should intervene. We should change bad laws. We need to support take home pay.

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