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

I rise today to outline to the House a recent report released by the Young Workers Centre in Victoria. It is entitled Young workers snapshot: The great wage rip-off. The report's findings are damning. It found that one in five of the young workers surveyed were not being paid the minimum rate but in fact were on rates that undercut the minimum wage and conditions. It found that, whilst three out of four of the surveyed workers work unsociable hours, such as nights, weekends and evenings, less than half actually received penalty rates. It also found that the rate of unpaid trials and working off the clock had increased, with one in five reporting that they were not being paid for off-the-clock work, where they are attending meetings and trials without pay. These findings are damning—a large number of people working on weekends not being paid penalty rates, and wage theft is rife.

Businesses are not taking this government seriously or the Fair Work Ombudsman seriously. It is time this government acted and actually gave young people in this country an opportunity and a start—and not just those looking for those but also those currently in work. Wage theft is a problem in this country, yet this government is sitting on its hands and doing nothing. Listen to the findings in this report, act on the findings in this report, and do something to help young Australians who are being exploited at work.

See this speech in context