Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite like to see themselves as good economic managers. That is the myth that they put out. Today, the Prime Minister's refusal to support the legislation put forward to protect the penalty rates of Australian workers killed that myth. That one is gone. This penalty rates decision, and this government's decision not to support us to protect 700,000 workers across the country who will see their wages cut, calls this government out for what it is. I note today's Sydney Morning Herald shows the top 10 electorates that will be affected. There are no surprises—the electorate of Lalor, my community, is in that top 10, along with the electorate of Rankin. The electorates of Rankin and Lalor have a lot in common, including high youth unemployment and a casualisation of the workforce. This failure to protect penalty rates for workers is going to devastate our local economies. Young people are being moved off Newstart onto youth allowance; now young people are going to lose penalty rates. For the small businesses in our community, that means there will be spending cuts. These are not the sorts of spending cuts those opposite like to talk about; they have managed to cut the spending of locals in my electorate. That will mean damage to local businesses in my electorate.