Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Doorstop, West Perth
TOPICS: Labour force figures, NSW rail strikes
16 January 2024
E&OE
Senator Cash
Well, we’ve just seen the labour force figures released for December of last year, and there’s been a slight uptick in the unemployment figure in Australia, 3.9% to 4%. But I have to say, I have just witnessed the most bizarre press conference given by the Treasurer of Australia, Jim Chalmers. Jim’s entire press conference was spent telling Australians just how good the economic conditions in Australia are. He spent the time telling Australians just how good they have it under an Albanese Government. Well, I suggest Mr. Chalmers get out and actually start talking to Mum and Dad Australia, because Mum and Dad Australia know that life isn’t easy under Mr. Albanese, despite the Prime Minister, prior to the last election, telling Australians that if they elected him, they would be better off. Perhaps Mr. Chalmers doesn’t understand that under his economic management, we have now seen 12 interest rate rises. We have the Reserve Bank time and time again telling Mr. Chalmers that inflation in Australia is home grown. In other words, Jim, it’s a result of the policies you are putting in place. We’ve seen seven quarters now of negative GDP growth, we’ve seen productivity in Australia going backwards. And despite everything, Jim Chalmers wants Australians to believe, it happens to be a fact that under Mr. Albanese, during their term in office, real wages have gone backwards. And quite frankly, Australians, I think, are now beyond the spin coming out of Mr. Chalmers, because they know that every single time they walk into a shopping centre, food under Mr. Albanese has gone up by 12 per cent. What the labour Force figures also show, though, in the ABS labour account data, this is the most comprehensive analysis of the Australian labour market. Well, it also has some more bad news for Australians. Since Mr. Albanese was elected to office, the number of multiple job holders in Australia has now risen to almost 1 million. That is actually the highest number on record since records were first started to be collated in 1994. I would say to Mr. Chalmers, that’s hardly an achievement under your government, that more Australians are having to take on multiple jobs because they cannot afford life under Mr. Albanese. So again, life isn’t easy under Mr. Albanese. And despite everything that Labor says Australians, they’re not silly. They know their reality every time they walk into a shopping centre.
Journalist
What will the Coalition do to increase wages and grow jobs?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, what I’d say is, again, despite Labor’s claims, it happens to be a reality that real wages under the time that the Coalition was in office went forwards. In other words, people’s real purchasing power increased. It is a fact that under Labor, even though Labor don’t want to understand this reality, that real wages during their time in office has gone backwards. So clearly, Coalition policies ensure that we see wage increases. But what I would say is get rid of red tape around employers. Productivity in this country is going backwards. If you don’t get a productivity increase, employers are not able to provide employees with the full time and part time jobs that they need, but also the higher sustainable wages that they need. And employers across Australia are now saying that they are just drowning in red tape under this government. Proof of that fact is that Mr. Albanese and his government now preside over the highest number of business insolvencies on record. Again, not something to be proud of.
Journalist
Other than removing red tape, what will the coalition do to increase wages and grow jobs?
Senator Cash
Well, again, let’s get conflict out of the workplace, and let’s bring back working together between employers and employees. We’re already on the record as saying the changes that Labor have made to casual employees in Australia have been devastating, in particular for small businesses. They don’t know what the system is. They are now too scared to take on casual employees in Australia. So we’ve been very up front. If we are elected to office, that is one of the first things that we will do. Employers across Australia, but in particular small businesses, they are screaming out to reverse the changes to casual employees and get rid of that red tape for them so that they can invest in their businesses and bring on more casuals. That is something that employers across Australia have been asking.
Journalist
The Treasurer says the Coalition deliberately want lower wages. What’s your response to that?
Senator Cash
Well, the facts are completely at odds with the Treasurer’s statement, and clearly, between now and the next election, you are going to be hearing a lot of basically lies from the Australian Labor Party. It is a fact that under the former Coalition Government, real wages increased during our time in office. It is a fact that under the Albanese Labor government, real wages have gone backwards during their time in office. It is a fact that under Jim Chalmers, Australians have had 12 interest rate rises. Mr. Chalmers doesn’t seem to care, because he doesn’t take any action to reverse this, despite, the Reserve Bank saying to him that inflation in Australia is homegrown. So as I said, Australians are going to hear a lot of spin coming out of Labor in the lead up to the next election, but the facts don’t lie. Real wages increased under the former Coalition Government. Real wages over their time in office have gone backwards under Labor. That is a fact.
Journalist
You’ve already mentioned the increase of people taking on multiple jobs. Are you concerned by the drop in full-time jobs?
Senator Cash
Absolutely. Again, when the economy starts to shed full time employment, that is very worrying. The other worrying sign is that we are seeing stagnant jobs growth in the private sector. And you’ve seen economist after economist, employer group after employer group saying that jobs growth in the private sector, that gives you the productivity uplift that you need, is becoming non existent, and that is something that should concern all Australians. You need a strong and healthy private sector. That is where you get the productivity uplift, and that enables employers to be able to invest back into their workforces, but in particular, to pay their employees the higher sustainable wages.
Journalist
When you spoke earlier about changing the rules around casual workers, would the Coalition look at just making those changes for small businesses instead of larger businesses?
Senator Cash
No, it’s businesses across the country that are telling us that they are actually just completely, totally and utterly confused by what Labor has done. Red tape dampens people’s ability to go out and employ people, and that is why that is a change that we need to make. It is a fact that casual employment in Australia has remained at around 25 per cent of the workplace now for decades, that is a fact. There’s no increase in it. There’s no decrease in it. It actually just remains a valuable part of our workplace. And it breaks my heart when I in particular, go into small businesses, businesses that are struggling to stay open, to hear that the owner is too scared to take on a casual employee for fear of breaching the three page definition that is now there, and instead they’re working in the job themselves. That is hardly a situation that we want to see in Australia and in particular, small businesses having to do those additional hours, those additional shifts, bring family members on board, because they just don’t understand the definition that Labor have put into the Fair Work Act.
Journalist
Just moving on to the New South Wales train strikes, what do you believe the Federal Government could do or should do to end them?
Senator Cash
Well, this is an indictment on Mr. Albanese. The fact that Sydney is now being held to ransom by a union is an absolute disgrace. We’ve seen commuters this morning telling us of terrible, terrible delays on the rails. The Minister, the Workplace Relations Minister, has the power under the Fair Work Act to intervene in this matter and bring it to a halt. When I was the Federal Workplace Relations Minister, I threatened, I merely threatened to intervene in the Fremantle Ports dispute. And guess what? That brought it to a head before I needed to formally intervene. So quite frankly, I’m not surprised. Mr. Albanese is weak. Mr. Albanese is beholden to his union mates, and he has shown time and time again that he is prepared to put the interests of the unions before the best interests of Australians. And in this case, it is the people of New South Wales who are suffering as a result of this union action.
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