Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night Australians who watched the 7.30 program would have seen the Third World conditions being promoted by this government at Sydney Airport. We see at Sydney Airport appalling conditions of people working on split shifts as part of this government's new modern and flexible and innovative economy. Split shifts start early, finish late and there are limited guaranteed hours, and it is not worth workers' time or money to go home when they are rostered off and then come back to finish their shift. Workers have been voicing their concern about fatigue levels putting safety at risk. The secret footage obtained by 7.30 reveals bed-rolls and dirty sheets next to a baggage carousel in the staff only area of the Sydney Airport international terminal. But the company comes out and says that any talk that the employees are being forced to do that is utterly false. Of course they would say that because the company is a well-known Liberal donor—Aerocare, who was sent by the Election Funding Authority to the Crown Solicitor for failing to lodge their political donations report.

Most of Aerocare's workers are permanent part-time, with a minimum guaranteed salary of $16,000 a year. These are people living below the poverty line, and these people opposite, this government, are out there pushing their agenda to make people work harder and longer for less money. Aerocare have also come out and said that they had a $13 million profit last year alone. So we are seeing airport profits going up, business profits going up, but this mob are driving wages and conditions down, turning people into slaves just to suit their political agenda. (Time expired)