Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Fair Work Amendment (Restoring Penalty Rates) Bill 2018. Before I do, in the absence of the shadow industrial relations minister, I'd like to pass on my condolences to Brendan and Una on the loss of their fabulous Jodi Dack at this sad time.

I speak on this bill, which was introduced by the Leader of the Opposition in June. Sadly, the government's agenda didn't include bringing this bill on for debate before the long winter recess. Clearly, they had other things on their mind, like trying to give an $80 billion tax cut to the big end of town. The take-home pay of working Australians was cut yet again on 1 July, again on this minister's watch, on the Turnbull government's watch. On 1 July, hardworking Australians who make sacrifices to work the hours when most of us are spending time with our families again had their take-home pay slashed. This time the cuts were even deeper.

At a time when workers are suffering the fall-out from wage stagnation and rising cost-of-living pressures, this heartless government has overseen more money leaving workers' pay packets. This mean-spirited government has done everything it can to undermine working Australians. More than 13,000 workers in my electorate of Moreton rely on penalty rates to put food on the table, to put petrol in their cars and to pay their rent—that's one in six workers. Cutting penalty rates means my people will have to work longer hours for less pay. That is why Labor has introduced this bill to protect a principle as old as the Labor Party itself: a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

There's nothing fair about the lowest-paid workers having their take-home pay cut. There's nothing fair about women, who already suffer from the gender pay gap, having their take-home pay cut. There's nothing fair about the economic policies that the Turnbull government believes in and continues to inflict on Australian workers—policies that will give corporate giants an $80 billion tax cut while cutting $17 billion from our schools and cutting $440 million from preschool education, which will see 350,000 Australian children miss out on preschool altogether.

The Medicare freeze has effectively already cut $3 billion from Australia's health care. Not protecting the penalty rates of Australian workers and cutting the take-home pay of the most vulnerable workers deepens inequality. On average, a woman earns $25,000 less each year than the average man and spends between five and 14 hours a week doing unpaid housework compared to fewer than five hours for men. Yet women make up the majority of employees in industries that will have their penalty rates cut, such as retail and hospitality. I would hope Minister Cash spoke up and knew about this when this cut came through on 1 July.

Vulnerable, low-paid workers—women and young people especially—are the people who will suffer most from these penalty rate cuts. The young university students who work weekends so they can attend their lectures during the week will be forced to make up extra hours to pay their way through university. Single mothers will have to spend more time away from their children just so they can put food on the table. You have to wonder about the priorities of the Turnbull government, which are prepared to cut the take-home pay of young people who are striving to make a greater contribution to Australia and of mothers who just want to give their children a good start in life—this, while they are zealots about making sure their big corporate mates get a tax cut, including giving the banks $17 billion.

Tragically, cutting the penalty rates of people who earn low wages is also hurting the economy. Workers on low wages usually spend every cent they earn. They now have less to spend, starving the economy of much-needed expenditure; it's especially bad for retail and hospitality. On eight separate occasions in this parliament, this government has voted against protecting the penalty rates of vulnerable, low-paid workers. Eight times it has made it clear that it will not protect the wages of hardworking Australians. Labor will not sit back and do nothing. Labor will protect hardworking Australians, who are just trying to pay their bills. That's why the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, introduced this bill. It's a bill to stop the cuts to penalty rates and ensure that they can never be cut again. The Turnbull government did not bring this bill on for debate before 1 July. Why? Because it wanted Australian workers to get a pay cut.

Penalty rates are not a luxury for the 13,000 workers in my electorate of Moreton. Penalty rates put food on their tables and petrol in their cars and give them a chance in life. The Labor Party will always stand up for such workers. The Labor Party will always do the right thing. The fact is that the opposition leader has always stood up for workers. Despite the comments being made by those opposite, the opposition leader has a long track record of actually working to support working-class and middle-class Australians—those who want to get ahead. Labor will always stand up for those workers, and I will fight for penalty rates as long as I am here.

See this speech in context