Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

HES () (): We know that the Labor Party had been waiting for their jobs-skills talkfest before looking to do anything productive to address the skills shortage that is being faced across so many sectors across the entire country. This proposal in the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Pensioner and Veteran Workforce Participation) Bill 2022 to allow pensioners and those on a disability support pension to work longer hours without impacting on their pension was proposed by this opposition, by the opposition leader, a substantial period of time ago, around 26 June, to start to put in train methods and ways that we could use to boost workforce shortages as quickly as possible. This is the point: we've heard lots and lots of things being talked about—increasing migration, increasing skilled and unskilled numbers, bringing people into the country, working on the visa processing system to get them through. Whilst much of that is commendable and needs to be done—probably at a much faster rate—to ensure that we can address these shortages, in both skilled and unskilled positions, we have a workforce ready to go. We have a substantial number of people who are in receipt of an age pension or disability support pension and would like to work more hours.

But those opposite, now in government, of course opposed this up until their talkfest. Up until the Jobs and Skills Summit, it was something that would not be countenanced. Is that because it was proposed by the opposition? Is it because they have a level of pettiness that won't allow good ideas to be discussed? Is it because this is a government that isn't going to govern for all Australians? Is it a government that's only interested in governing for its union mates? We needed to make sure that John Setka, Sally McManus and the majority of participants that were at the Jobs and Skills Summit representing those unions would give this the tick of approval, because we couldn't have a situation at all where those in government upset their union mates!

To be clear, the unions currently represent around 10 per cent of Australians in the private sector workforce, yet they had 33 seats at this summit talkfest. As Senator Reynolds just made the point, there were only seven participants from Western Australia. The Western Australians were completely overshadowed by the unions in how much say they had, what their influence was and the numbers they had representing them at this talkfest last week. To put that in context, 10 per cent of Australians are members of unions; 41 per cent of the Australian workforce is employed in small business. Guess how many seats small business had at the table? Guess how many seats representing small business, which employs 41 per cent of Australians, were at the table? One—one seat.

Those of us on this side of the chamber are more than aware that the government has no interest in small business. They had every opportunity, but, when those on this side of the chamber when in government did anything or proposed anything to boost small business, it was vehemently opposed at every single opportunity.

But I guess what's even more important for those everyday Australians that are looking to what happens in this place—at what this place and the other place are doing to address cost-of-living pressures—is what is impacting them: the ability to put groceries on the table; to afford to pay power bills; to, currently, warm their houses; and, very, very soon, to cool their houses as we go into summer. What topics around that were talked about at the jobs and skills talkfest? None. But easing workforce shortages would make a significant contribution to easing cost-of-living pressures. We know this because cost-of-living pressures are significantly impacted at the moment due to supply chain issues. It's the supply chain that is being so dramatically impacted. There are increased costs of fuel. We know that the war in Ukraine is having impacts, which is something that we completely understand but those opposite, when in opposition, denied was any factor whatsoever.

But we do know the supply chain is having a significant impact on cost-of-living pressures. How do we start to make practical inroads into supply chain issues? We boost the workforce. We need to do that today. We need to do that as soon as possible. As I said, there is a willing and able workforce ready to go. They are ready to do an extra shift or an extra day to help the small businesses that so many Australians—41 per cent of Australians—are employed in. They are available to go today.

So I commend Senator Dean Smith's bill. We will continue to support it and make sure that these sorts of solutions—practical solutions—can be enacted quickly to make a real difference to help everyday Australian families, whether by putting more money in their pockets or by helping to ease the workplace shortages, and to make sure that we are supporting everyday Australians.

As someone who sat on the community affairs committee in the last term of parliament, what I find extraordinary is the volume of inquiries we conducted. Because we understand the importance of looking at all legislative options, we understood the importance of making sure inquiries were held that would look at what solutions may be on the table. I would suggest that more good ideas come from this side of the chamber, particularly when it comes to helping small businesses and particularly when it comes to helping working families. But we held many, many inquiries. The fact is that those opposite, in these first hundred days of parliament, have gone out of their way to block an inquiry, to block looking at this as a solution.

This is a government that held themselves up as the soon-to-be bastions of transparency. They wanted to make sure there was a new politics, that there was an open exchange of ideas, that there was transparency in what they were going to put forward in a legislative agenda that is going to have a direct impact not only on disability support pensioners and not only on age pensioners but on all of those small businesses that employ 41 per cent of Australians as well as the larger businesses that employ many more Australians who are able to then contribute more without having their pension impacted. So, what do those opposite do? They block an inquiry. They say, 'No, no, no; we don't want to look at this.' Is that because the unions told them not to? Is it because they can't look at any idea that's not their own? Is it because they don't care about cost-of-living pressures? We're yet to hear a word come out of the mouths of so many of those opposite as to what they plan to do. They've a plan for a plan—a secret plan to fight inflation that's allegedly rumbling around. But there is no plan to ease cost-of-living pressures.

Those opposite spruiked I think around 94 times in the lead-up to the election that $275 was going to come off every Australian's power bill. Well, try to get them to say '$275' now. Not one of those opposite will mention the figure, because, as Australians are seeing, day after day, quarter after quarter, their power bills are continuing to rise. So, those opposite, who promised that Australians would be better off—how are they going to be better off? They're certainly not going to be $275 better off on their power bills. They're certainly not going to be better off when you object to moving towards allowing pensioners to increase their activity, increase their work, increase their hours, increase their productivity, increase the contribution that they can make to our economy. But when you refuse to look at that, when you refuse to inquire into it and to look at any ideas that aren't your own, you are standing in the way of improving the life of everyday Australians. You are standing in the way of easing cost-of-living pressures.

All those opposite are interested in is making sure that John Setka gets his payback for the ABCC, making sure that we're going to see increased costs on building sites and increased costs to everyday Australians who are trying to build their own homes. Building their own homes is going to become more difficult, because all of a sudden the building commission won't be there anymore. We're going to see union thuggery return—not that it ever left, but we actually had the ABCC, which could look into union thuggery. But we're going to get rid of that. We're going to see workplaces and building sites become particularly unsafe, especially for women. We know how many cases were brought to the ABCC, and every one of those cases meant additional costs to people building a home and to businesses developing property. All of that, those cost-of-living pressures, are just going to increase, at a time when we have housing issues, when we need to be working towards getting more stock into the market. But that's not going to happen, because the union mates have to be appeased.

We on this side are committed to ensuring that pensioners, disability support pensioners, are able to participate more fully, that they're able to boost their income, that they are able to continue to contribute to Australia's productivity and that small businesses are able to staff their businesses, so that restaurants are able to do both a lunch and a dinner service because they can actually get staff to work. These are the real impacts that are being felt. Retail businesses are not able to get someone to work. Aged-care homes that could be desperately keeping nurses and other aged-care workers in the workforce aren't able to bring them back just for one extra shift a week, because, at the moment, the reduction to their pension they would receive would have such an impact on their income that they are unable to do it. This is a simple solution. It is a fantastic bill that has been put forward by Senator Smith.

Debate interrupted.