Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Palmer United Party) Share this | Hansard source

Email No. 9 reads:

I would like to congratulate you and thank you for standing up for us in the ADF. I would just like to outline to you how this pay 'increase' will impact on me and my family.

One day of leave is worth about $250 to me. The leave day they want to take is over Christmas. If I do not have the leave, I can buy it or I would need to put my children in care. I have three children. My two boys would be in out-of-school holiday program at $55 per day per child, My daughter is in day-care at $90 per day. This totals $200, so I am working for $50.

That is the pay side of it; let's look at the family and social impact.

Our family is in Western Australia and we are in Townsville. Christmas every second year is when we can afford to travel over to see them and one less day means we need to come home a week early as that stand down day is between Christmas and New Year. My husband and I are both serving so when we come home we have to work. That is one less day to spend with our children, considering my husband is away with work 4-5 months of a year. We cherish each and every day.

We live in a married quarter and every time we have a pay increase, we also get a rental increase. However, those increases are in line with CPI, unlike this very low pay increase. So with this, I truly hope you stand your ground and block whatever you can until they listen. I think you will face backlash from your party. Let's face it, it will not be a party for long and Clive is a whack job. So go for it alone, go independent, and you will achieve so much more.

Email No. 10—