Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (15:11): This is a very important matter of public importance. I wanted to start by referring to ABS data released today which shows that the private sector seasonally-adjusted wage growth of 2.2 per cent over the last year is the lowest rate since the Wage Price Index series started. So, as a very important indicator of how the economy is going, we have the lowest wage growth in the private sector for what would appear to be at least 20 years—a remarkable situation, particularly in light of what the Treasurer said in question time about how well the economy is going. I also want to refer to the ABS data of last week which showed that unemployment has hit 6.2 per cent—that is, 800,000 Australians. For the first time in 21 years, the figure is in excess of 800,000. And there are 114,000 more Australians lining the unemployment queues in this country since the Abbott government was elected—that is 114,000 extra Australians on unemployment queues since the election of this government. The rate of 6.3 per cent is the same rate that was in place when the Prime Minister was the Minister for Employment, and it is higher than at any point in the terms of the last two Labor governments, and even higher than at any time during the global financial crisis, the biggest economic shock to the developed world in 70 years. Mr Speaker, we listened to the Treasurer question time today; you would have thought that this was not the case. When you listened to the Treasurer and his response to a couple of questions from government members, you would have thought unemployment is falling. Well, unfortunately, unemployment is rising in this country, and the so-called 'jobs and family budget' of the government is hurting families and hurting jobs. This is the case. Most disturbingly—certainly for us on the side but I would hope also for members opposite—youth unemployment is 13.8 per cent in this nation. A very disturbing and damning figure insofar as the government's failure to look after young people entering the labour market—a very damning figure. Nearly 300,000 of those 800,000 are between the ages of 15 and 24—that is 295,000 young people not learning, not earning, and looking for work and failing to find work. Let us be very clear about what has happened. We had a confidence-killing budget last year, introduced by the Treasurer, which killed business confidence and killed consumer confidence. We had a government that was not only imposing a contractionary budget but it was also scaring the Australian community. We had a Treasurer and a Prime Minister last year who decided that it was their job to talk down the economy of the nation. As a result, we had very low business confidence and very low consumer confidence. Instead, we need a government that not only wants to talk the economy up but also wants to do something about creating jobs in this country. We should not do that by turning our back on sectors of the economy, including manufacturing. We saw what happened with respect to the car industry, which was killed off by this government. The Treasurer goaded Holden and they decided to leave our shores. We saw what they did in relation to the shipbuilding industry. They insulted shipbuilders in this country. The former defence minister said that our builders 'could not build a canoe'. He might be gone, but there has been no genuine commitment across the country regardless of the government's announcement last week in relation to this area of our economy. People know that this government is not serious about looking after that industry and whatever vote-buying announcement they made last week in South Australia, they are not serious about investing in this industry. We have yet to see them change their position on reneging on building submarines in this country. We do not see this government partnering with industry, working with industry, to maintain and create jobs. At the time of the lowest wage growth and the lowest levels of industrial disputation in this country, what do we see from this government? We see a government focusing its very limited capacities in pursuit of unions and cutting employment conditions. Last week the Productivity Commission handed down a draft report that had, I believe, some reasonable things to say about matters pertaining to employment. I will respond to those over time and up until the finalisation of the report. The report also opened up the idea that you could possibly divide workers in this country between those who should receive penalty rates and those who should not—we do not support that. What did the Prime Minister have to say about that? The Prime Minister said: 'I think there is a case for looking again at this issue.' Minister Abetz agreed. This is a very serious matter. We have a situation where the government is willing to consider cutting penalty rates for low-paid workers in this country—retail workers and hospitality workers, many of whom rely upon those penalty rates to ensure that they can pay the bills. We do have a minister for employment—he does not seem to be supporting too many workers in this country—who, when he is not invoking the marital status of Dolce or Gabbana to oppose marriage equality and when he is not talking about the referendum in Austria about opposing marriage equality— The SPEAKER: The member will stick the topic of his matter of public importance. Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: is talking down to and insulting Australian workers. We have seen that recently. Not surprisingly, we have seen that in relation to his comments about retail workers who gave evidence to Labor's Fair Work Taskforce in Launceston on 1 July. The minister responded to those retail workers by saying they were union stooges and they were liars—he put out a media release effectively saying this. Let me remind the minister, and the member for Bass and government members generally, that these workers are genuine workers and they presented testimony to the Fair Work Taskforce in relation to how things would affect them if they lost their Sunday penalty rates. In relation to what Sunday penalty rates mean to them, one of the workers said: 'It's the occasional movie, the occasional dinner. That's it.' Another said: 'It's making sure that my 14-year-old gets to play his basketball. It's paying the bills that fortnight because I pay my bills on my penalty rate week. That's when it happens.' Another said, 'I pay for my son's football on Sunday, and it contributes to the full-time day care of my daughter.' These are the things that really matter to ordinary workers, and the government has shown no sympathy whatsoever for these workers. We believe it is absolutely critical that the government clearly outlines what it wants to do in relation to employment conditions and what it seeks to do in respect of penalty rates. We would not want to see two classes of workers in this country—high-paid workers receiving penalty rates, and low-paid workers receiving cuts. That is not at all reasonable. We also know that the government has no plans for future jobs. This side of the parliament knows that 75 per cent of the fastest growing occupations will require skills in science, technology, engineering and maths. It is Labor that believes that we need to invest in these skill areas, in research and innovation and to build and sustain the jobs of the future. What do we see from those opposite? An attack on the union movement, an $80 million witch-hunt and an attack on conditions of employment for low-paid workers. We have grave concerns. If you are really committed to industry and committed to jobs, you have to care about these workers and you have to care about these people. You have to care about Australian industry and its workforce. You would not refer to decent low-paid retail workers as union stooges and liars if you cared. You would not be an apologist for an employer who decides to sack its workforce by text, if you really cared about workers. You would not surrender important local employment protections when negotiating trade agreements if you cared about local workers. You would not blame the crew of an Australian vessel for their employment conditions who had to hand over not only that vessel to a new crew in Singapore but to also hand over their jobs as well. Have we seen any sympathetic remarks or any concern for any of these workers? No. We have seen nothing from the Prime Minister, we seen nothing from the Minister for Employment or from any other frontbencher of this government because they have a callous disregard for ordinary working people who are trying make ends meet. For that reason they need a jobs plan and they need to commit to fair workplaces and fair workplace laws.