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

Today is International Cleaners Day. It is a day when, around the world, we stop to acknowledge the hard work of our cleaners. They are quite often a hidden workforce, a workforce that is working when the rest of us are at home. Today, however, our cleaners here in Parliament House launched a new company: We Clean the People's House, a not-for-profit company. They are calling on us, MPs and senators, to make donations to this company to help pay them a living wage.

Our cleaners here at Parliament House have not received a pay rise for over five years. The last time they received a pay rise was when Labor was in government. This is a big place. There are over 5,000 people here during a sitting week. There are more than 1 million visitors to Parliament House. On 1 July 2012, cleaners' wages increased to $21.17 an hour, and they have not increased since. Yet, whilst the cleaners, who are the lowest paid in this building, have not received a pay rise, if the government gets its way, many of them will be whacked with a tax increase on 1 July this year. We, the politicians, will receive a tax cut. We have also received pay rises.

If the Prime Minister does not increase their pay, they ask all of us to make a donation to this not-for-profit company. We could donate our pay rise. We could donate our tax cut. But do something to support the cleaners today.