Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the impact of algorithm driven rostering practices on Australian workers and to emphasise the importance of the global Make Amazon Pay campaign and the work of the SDA in Australia. The Make Amazon Pay campaign calls for fairer practices that respect the balance between the operational needs of Amazon and the welfare and dignity of workers in Australia.

In the Australian retail and warehousing sectors, rostering is increasingly done by algorithms and apps. These platforms are used to improve efficiency and are also claimed to improve fairness and equity in staff rostering. Yet the reality for workers rostered on for work using these apps and algorithms is often far from ideal. The experience of workers is that the systems Amazon puts into place lead to inconsistent and unpredictable work schedules, underemployment and financial insecurity as well as increased stress levels. Automated rosters can also have a disruptive impact on the lives of employees, making it difficult for them to plan child care or balance work with family responsibilities and commitments.

In my first speech in this place, I spoke of the need to foster an Australia that allows people to play active and engaged roles in community life and family life. The predictability of hours of work is essential to that goal. There are economic and household impacts as well. According to a study cited by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association in their submission to the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence, 69 per cent of workers with children under 12 reported that work times affected when other family members could work.

The solution here is not to reject technology and innovation but to use it responsibly. Workers are directly affected by new technology and often have valuable insights into how best to deploy these technologies to achieve the desired goals without negatively affecting the workers themselves and their families.