Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand today to reflect on the number of people who are currently unemployed in Australia. More than 800,000 people are now without a job. When the Abbott Liberal government was elected that figure was 686,500. It means that, under this government, unemployment is now up to 175 people a day. This government wants to talk about jobs, but let us have a little think about that. What plan has been put on the table for Australian jobs or Australian industry? We know there is a plan out there at the moment; it is called the draft report of the Productivity Commission. In that draft report we see a recommendation for a two-tiered penalty system to create a two-tiered system of workers in Australia. It is all right. We are going to say to those people who are working in hospitality and retail: 'You're not actually worth being paid a sustainable wage. We'll be chopping your penalty rates, whilst trying to protect those others that the government thinks are worthy of protection. It's picking winners and losers here.' What I would say to the nurses, the firefighters and the other essential workers whose wages are not going to be allegedly cut this first time around: 'How could you trust this government? How could you trust it?' If you look at the track record of the broken promises and the pain inflicted by this government, you would have to say: it can't be trusted.