Senate debates

Thursday, 20 August 2015

Adjournment

Employment

6:43 pm

Photo of John MadiganJohn Madigan (Victoria, Independent) Share this | | Hansard source

'Get a good job that pays good money.' Not you, Mr President; you and I are paid well. This remark was made by the Treasurer to the people of Australia who are finding it difficult to buy their first home. But I wonder, what is a good job? Is it a job as a farmer on the land? This is an area of employment that we as a nation undervalue. Is it a job as tradesman, like an electrician? This is a job that we are signing free trade agreements to get Chinese people to fill. Is it a job as a car manufacture employee? These jobs will soon be added to the Liberal Party's employment extinction list. Or is it a job as a lawyer, a financial advisor, a banker or a businessman? Are these the good jobs that our Treasurer is talking about?

The fact of the matter is this. People have good jobs and are losing them under this current government—and the last. You know what else they have? These people have families and a mortgage. Often in this place, the human element, the consequences of our decisions on people, are forgotten about. We see the financial impact statement in the explanatory memorandum, but maybe we should give a little more thought to what we do here and the impact our decisions have. Will people impacted by the government's policies be able to afford their children's schoolbooks? Will they be able to buy their children a birthday or Christmas present? Will they be able to pay their mortgage?

Instead of focusing on how many jobs are being created, maybe we should focus on not losing the ones we already have. I do not profess to have all the answers in this place; however, what I do know is that we subsidised the car industry that employs thousands of people across the country and has enormous flow-on effects far less than we give to wind power companies. I think this is a real problem we have as a nation. We do not recognise who we are as a nation. We have become hijacked by ideologues. The car industry should be a part of what Australia is and who we are. Having a strong manufacturing sector, turning our inventions, our research and development into something physical and tangible, is Australian too. Having Australians growing things and exporting quality products to the world is what people expect of Australia.

We invented the black box in aircraft, wi-fi, ultrasound and the bionic ear. I find it a tragedy when we as decision makers choose to focus on what we want Australia to be good at, whilst neglecting what we as a nation are already good at. I think it is important that we expand what makes Australia great and not simply limit our vision to what politicians find easiest to understand. I think we in this place need to have a little more respect for our history and the industries that have developed. We should value and nurture them, not simply milk them for everything they are worth. After all, there is a reason why almost all developed economies around the world value their car industry, their manufacturing base and their fuel security. There is a reason why all countries that have agricultural land value it and cultivate it as much as possible. I think politicians need to wise up a little and realise that all jobs can be a good job for the right person, because all jobs are a part of what makes Australia great, not to mention they are an important and critical part of an individual's identity and self-worth.