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

I rise to add my voice and support to SDA Tasmania's campaign to make New Year's Day in Tasmania a public holiday. Currently, under Tasmanian legislation New Year's Day is not a public holiday; therefore when it falls on a weekend, as it will next year, employees are not able to receive penalties for working on 1 January. This is, frankly, unfair, as our mainland brothers and sisters do recognise New Year's Day as a public holiday. The cost of living is rising, groceries are going up, petrol is going up, and Tasmanian workers, not only in retail but in other sectors, will be $150 or more out of pocket when they work on New Year's Day.

I recently met with Tameka from a local Woolworths store in my home town of Launceston. She's a mother and works full time. Because she works Monday to Sunday, she will be affected by the short-sighted decision of the Tasmanian government not to recognise 1 January as a public holiday in Tasmania. Tameka is not the only Tasmanian affected; thousands of other working people will be disadvantaged as well. Not just are they people working in fast food, hospitality, retail and supermarkets; nurses and firefighters are also affected.

Tasmania doesn't deserve to be the poor cousin of our mainland counterparts when we're working on certain days in the calendar year. It really doesn't make any sense at all, because there is no consistency across the rest of the year. I ask the Liberal state government: if Christmas is a public holiday, why then is New Year's Day any different?

I urge the Tasmanian Liberal government to start listening to the Tasmanian workforce and to bring about equality. I urge the Tasmanian Liberal government to start listening to the SDA and their secretary, Joel Tynan, because Tasmanian workers deserve to be paid a fair day's pay on a public holiday that is recognised by mainland states. Some Tasmanians do get paid for that public holiday, but not all Tasmanians, and we deserve to be treated equally.

I also note the SDA's Make Amazon Pay campaign. This week the SDA, the TWU and unions across not only Australia but the world are calling for an end to poor working conditions and low wages for Amazon workers. As Black Friday sales begin this week, not just in America but also here in Australia and in many other countries, Amazon workers face undeniable pressure and stress to fulfil orders around the world, placing great strain on individuals and their families. The race to the bottom on wages and secure jobs is not just something the Morrison government and those opposite allowed to happen for almost 10 years; it is a global problem, a problem that needs to be addressed. Amazon is the gold medallist for these poor practices. Thousands of Amazon Flex drivers aren't even getting paid the minimum wage. They have no rights and are pressured to drive dangerously overloaded cars and vehicles to avoid being sacked on a whim, without reason or recourse. This week is a reminder that Amazon workers, who kept filling and delivering orders throughout the pandemic, deserve respect and have a right to safe workplaces right around the world, as does every working person. Working rights are human rights, so I implore you to join this campaign. Whilst profits soar at Amazon, doubling in the first half of 2021 compared to 2020, workers are left with little or no pay rise and are working unimaginable hours without breaks. Amazon really is amongst the world's worst offenders for exploiting their work practices and their employees.

I stand with the SDA in fighting for equality, for New Year's Day to be paid as a public holiday, and I stand with the TWU and the SDA in speaking up for and walking in solidarity with the Amazon workforce. These conditions aren't Australian. We don't want this downward trend in workers' rights and pay in this country, and the only way that that's going to change is if people become members of and stand with their union and campaign against this atrocity of taking away workers' rights and taking advantage of those people who don't necessarily have a voice of their own. I urge you to support these campaigns.