Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thousands of aviation jobs around Australia have already been lost or are under threat. Many of those are in my electorate. Melbourne Airport directly abuts the electorate of Fraser, and many families in Fraser are currently feeling the stress of the economic shutdown firsthand. This is an industry that has been brought to its knees.

Last week, I met with employees of dnata who have worked for many years for a company that has directly relied upon the aviation industry. These people are confused and angry as to why they have been totally excluded from the JobKeeper program. These are people who have paid their taxes for many years and who have contributed to the community for many years, and now they ask the question: why, because of a technicality as to the ownership of their company, have they been totally excluded from this program?

As a result of them having been excluded from this program, they will receive fewer benefits and, at some point in the future, they will have the additional stress of all of the obligations, of mutual obligation and of all the other burdens that will be placed upon their families at a time when they can least afford it. They've asked me, 'Why are we being treated like this simply because we're falling on the wrong side of an arbitrary line?' I promised them that I would come to Canberra and advocate on their behalf for holes such as this in the scheme to be remedied.

There are also, in my electorate, so many people who work as casual employees—many of them who have worked for years in industries but, perhaps, have gaps in their work experience or perhaps have changed employers. Again, many of these employees ask why they are being totally excluded from the JobKeeper program simply because they fall on the wrong side of an arbitrary requirement that there be 12 months continuous service. Like the dnata employees, these people are going to suffer unnecessary hardship and uncertainty because of a loophole in this program. We supported the JobKeeper program in principle and, in fact, called for it before it was brought in, but these are just two examples of gaps in this program which the government needs to remedy.

Yesterday was the international day of nurses and midwives. I reiterate the tribute that I paid yesterday when I spoke to the nurses and midwives around Australia, including those who are in this chamber and including, as I said yesterday, my father—a nurse for over 30 years. But I want to pay special tribute to not just the nurses but all of the healthcare workers of Fraser tonight.

Healthcare workers have been so critical in flattening the curve in Victoria and beyond—a great success for our community and one that we should vigilantly make sure continues. In addition to the individual healthcare workers throughout Fraser, I would like to pay tribute to Western Health, an organisation that has shown so much leadership over the last few months and has shown such a willingness to innovate.

Western Health has been at the forefront of Victoria's mass-testing program, which has been so critical in providing it with the data that it needs to confidently and cautiously release restrictions. Western Health has been willing to innovate. One example is a program which it has developed with physiotherapists and leading university researchers called Safe Exercise at Home, which shares simple, functional exercises for older people to increase their activities at home.

In addition, another group that stands out are those healthcare workers with immunocompromised family members. I pay special tribute to those healthcare workers who have continued to serve the community even when it places them at additional risk; and indeed to the many members of the broader community who have helped those people be able to stay at work—for example, by providing rooms in their homes, in caravans or rental units for free so that doctors and nurses with immunocompromised family can continue to work. This is an example of not only the healthcare workers sacrificing for our community but the broader sacrifices that have been made by our community more generally which has been so important to the successful eradication of COVID to date.