Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The labour practices of Amazon, one of the world's largest and most influential corporations, can only be described as infamous. In 2025, Amazon's relentless pursuit of profit continues to come at a staggering cost to workers' rights, dignity and privacy across the United States, Canada, Europe and here in Australia. As the company expands its reach into every facet of our economies and lives, the need for public accountability, ethical procurement and fair compensation for working people has never been more crucial.

Amazon's opposition to unionisation or an organised workforce is neither isolated nor accidental. The company's aggressive tactics to stifle collective bargaining are well documented. Take the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, in New York, where workers made history by successfully forming a union. Instead of respecting this democratic decision, Amazon engaged in relentless union busting, refusing to bargain in good faith and inundating workers with anti-union propaganda. At Whole Foods in Philadelphia, a similar pattern emerged. Workers attempting to advocate for their rights faced intimidation, surveillance and a refusal from management to recognise their union or negotiate terms.

This pattern is not confined to the US. Across Amazon's global operations, we see repeated efforts to undermine union organising, whether it be through targeted firings, shifting workers' schedules to disrupt organising efforts or exploiting legal loopholes to avoid collective bargaining. These actions reveal a corporate strategy to silence workers' voices and deny them the basic rights to organise, to bargain and to advocate for fair conditions.

In Canada, Amazon's anti-union playbook has taken a particularly destructive turn. In Quebec the company closed multiple warehouse facilities shortly after workers began unionising drives. Despite official statements citing operational reasons, the timing and pattern of these closures are unmistakable. They serve as a very clear warning to workers elsewhere: attempt to organise and your livelihoods will be put at risk. The response from Canadian governments and labour advocates has been firm but insufficient. While some provincial authorities have launched inquiries and called for greater oversight, Amazon's actions highlight the urgent need for stronger protections for organising workers, clear penalties for these retaliatory closures and mechanisms to ensure that multinational corporations cannot simply pack up and leave when faced with demands for fairness.

Here in Australia, Amazon's approach to union representation has been marked by resistance, delays and, at times, outright hostility. Workers have reported being denied the right to meet with union representation onsite. Disputes over pay, safety and rostering are frequently met with legal manoeuvring and public relations campaigns aimed at undermining solidarity. When workers speak out, the company's response is often to silence dissent using non-disclosure agreements and threats of legal action or by simply refusing to negotiate. These tactics are not just anti-union; they are antidemocratic. They undermine the very principles that underpin our workplaces and our society: the right to have a fair go, a safe workplace and a voice in decisions that affect our lives and our livelihoods.

In a remarkable move, the European Parliament has banned Amazon lobbyists from its corridors. This action was taken after Amazon repeatedly refused to engage with official inquiries into its labour practices and treatment of workers. The ban is unprecedented. It's a clear signal from European lawmakers that companies that flout transparency, dodge accountability and disregard democratic processes will not be given a seat at the table. This is a watershed moment. It demonstrates that powerful institutions can and must hold even the largest corporations accountable. The message is clear: ethical business is not optional, and the right to influence public policy must be earned through transparency and respect for fundamental rights.

Amazon's obsession with control extends into the surveillance of its workers. In France and across Europe, Amazon have been caught using sophisticated monitoring technologies to track workers' movements, measure productivity and identify those perceived as troublemakers. These tactics create a climate of fear, stress and constant scrutiny when even a brief pause can be flagged as time theft. It brings back those horrible images of the Australian waterfront.

Now, we know how important it is for workers to have unions representing them and giving a voice to those who can't or don't have the skills to speak. Collectively, that voice is so much stronger. We know how important it is that the TWU and the SDA are taking on Amazon. They will take on corporations who don't play by the rules. Australians expect to have a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. They don't expect and won't accept surveillance of their lives. They won't be intimidated, and that's why the SDA and the TWU are running the campaign: Amazon and the way they behave is not going to be acceptable here in Australia. Make Amazon Pay is a campaign that I strongly support.

That's what this Labor government has done since we came into office: during the last term, we put at the forefront of the Australian people our belief in workers' rights. We raised the low-income wages of Australians who work in our essential services. Whether you work in aged care, in disability, in retail and hospitality or in a warehouse, you go to work and you expect a safe environment. You expect to have the right to join a union, if that is your choice. We know how easy it is to have those rights taken away from you. We know what has happened under previous Liberal governments. I don't think I'll ever forget seeing on television the sights of the blockades on our waterfronts. There were dogs and balaclavas. There was thuggery undertaken at the direction of previous Liberal governments. That's why the Australian people know that they can't trust the Liberals and Nationals when they're in government to actually support Australian workers.

It's not just Amazon; although, in this campaign, they're a target because of their bad practices—the fact that they will take advantage of their workers, will close up shop and will threaten people's livelihoods if they feel under threat by an organised workforce with strong representation. We know, over the decades upon decades, how important unions have been in this country. They are there for only one reason: to protect workers' rights and to support those who need that protection and to give them a strong voice. I commend this campaign, along with so many other colleagues who have made a contribution, and I'm sure that there'll be more who will make a contribution on this.

It is fundamental to what the Labor Party is. We were born out of the union movement. We believe in collective bargaining and we believe, as I said, in the basic right to have a safe working environment and a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. That's why we have legislated to ensure people are paid their superannuation when they get paid. We know that there have been so many employers—and I can name so many from my hometown—who didn't pay. Not only did they not pay for three or six or 12 months; they weren't paying workers' superannuation and were caught more than once not paying. They repeatedly didn't pay in the hope that they'd get away with it. That's unacceptable in Australia, and I support this campaign.