Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the government says that it's all about protecting Australian workers' jobs, why won't just one Liberal or National MP stand up for the thousands of Qantas workers who have been sacked by the airline over recent weeks? On Monday, Qantas confirmed it has sacked 2,000 ramp and baggage staff throughout the country and will replace them with workers from a foreign corporation on lower wages and conditions. It's corporate immorality at its worst. But what the Morrison government is allowing Qantas to do is to pocket $800 million worth of JobKeeper subsidies and avoid the payment of airport levies and fees so they can use the pandemic as an excuse to sack their loyal Australian workforce and bring in workers from a foreign corporation on lower wages and conditions. It's a disgrace, and the Morrison government is saying nothing. So much for standing up for Australian workers!

The JobKeeper subsidy was put in place by this parliament to protect Australian workers' jobs, not allow businesses to use the cover of the pandemic to sack their workforce. Australian companies should not be allowed to abuse JobKeeper so that they can fulfil their goals of cutting workers' wages and conditions and attacking unions, and that's exactly what Qantas have done. They just celebrated their centenary. Many of you on that side were there for the clinking of the champagne glasses and for the photo ops. How about you stand up for those Qantas workers who have lost their jobs? How about you stand up for Australian workers for once?