Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to stand up for the nearly 10,000 retail, hospitality and pharmacy workers across the cities of Rockingham and Kwinana in my electorate who, from Sunday, 2 July, will face a very real cut to their take-home pay. One year ago on 2 July, the voters of Brand elected me into this parliament to represent them. I could not have imagined then that I would witness a government in this place failing to protect the take-home pay of ordinary Australian workers.

Earlier this week, the Turnbull Liberal government had the chance in this chamber to do the right thing by working Australians and join with the Labor Party to protect the penalty rates of 700,000 workers across this country. This vapid, incompetent and, frankly, mean Liberal government could have supported thousands of people in my electorate and across the whole country—thousands of people and families who rely on penalty rates to get by. The Liberals and the Nationals could have put a stop to cutting penalty rates and lowering wages, but they have failed to do so.

Now, one in seven workers across Rockingham and Kwinana are facing cuts to their take-home pay. Workers in Wellard, Calista, Orelia, Cooloongup, Hillman and Secret Harbour will be paid less. It is a disgrace that this government sees fit to grant the richest among us $65 billion worth of tax cuts while at the same time allowing wages to decrease for ordinary working Australians. This government's refusal to protect these workers and their pay is a disgrace. I want to assure my community that Labor will continue to stand up for them.