TRANSCRIPT - TELEVISION INTERVIEW - SKY NEWS WITH LAURA JAYES - TUESDAY, 15 MARCH 2022

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS WITH LAURA JAYES
TUESDAY, 15 MARCH 2022

SUBJECTS: Insecure work; Victorian sick leave trial; election commitments.

LAURA JAYES, HOST: Joining me live now is the Shadow Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke. Thanks so much for your time. Is this a good idea?

TONY BURKE, SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: Oh, look, it's a pilot. And we'll have a look at how it goes. It's certainly dealing with a real problem. Casualisation, insecure work, is a huge problem in Australia. We saw an absolute spotlight on it during the pandemic, when a whole lot of people suddenly had nothing to live on, when we saw people who were sick going to work anyway because they couldn't afford not to. And in the initial stages, that was how we had a lot of spread of the disease, of COVID-19. So there is a very real problem with insecure work. Anthony Albanese, close to two years ago now, announced our Secure Jobs Plan. We're in a different position to the state government because we've got access to the Fair Work Act. And so we've got a series of changes there, that we've announced that if we win we'll make, to be able to give people more secure jobs. But you know from a state perspective, it's a trial, they are definitely dealing with the right problem.

JAYES: So it's your view that this is fine to go ahead but it is firmly in state jurisdiction. So if a state wants to go ahead with it, great, they can do that. But you're not going to look at doing this at a federal level.

BURKE: We've announced our plan for dealing with insecure work. And the government's rejected all of it. But we do need … you know, the only change they've made this term is to make casualisation easier. That's the only change they've made. They're still leaving gig workers with no rights and people being paid below the minimum wage. And the government doesn't have a problem with that. They've still left a situation where casual workers can be completely exploited. And they have kept a definition where an employer says you're a casual and basically that's the end of the story. They’ve kept a situation where with consecutive contracts people can effectively be on their probationary period forever. And the government sees no problem with that. A lot of us had casual jobs when we first left school. And if you're doing a job for extra money, insecure work is not necessarily a problem. But if you are trying to support a household, at a time when everything is going up except your wages, insecure work is a serious problem in the Australian economy. That's why the secure jobs plan was one of the first policies that Anthony Albanese announced. And it's why with respect to the Victorian trial, we’ll watch it, we'll see how it transpires. But there's a different path that we're taking.

JAYES: Okay. So before an election, a lot of people are looking at this in Victoria saying, well, it's Labor government as well. Perhaps this is a sign of what's to come from a federal Labor government. So can you rule it out? You've said your plan is your plan. You'll look at this. But is that it?

BURKE: Well, even the Victorian Labor government that's doing the trial’s not ruling anything in or out. Even the Victorian Government is saying it's a trial. By definition, when a trial happens, you look at it. The stupid thing is Michaelia Cash, wanting to say somehow this is a tax, wanting to go off, like it's one of the strangest statements I've seen …

JAYES: Well, someone would have to pay for it. Eventually, it's going to have to be these businesses with the levy. So it's kind of a tax, isn't it?

BURKE: Well does that mean that their sports rorts were a sports rorts tax? Does that mean their car park rorts were a car park tax? Like, really? It's just an absurd way of looking at things. And I know with TV there's that thing they talk about “the seven second delay” between something going out. I think Michaelia Cash would do well to have a seven second delay between some of the bizarre thoughts she has and what she then says. It would make a lot more sense if the government had some plan to deal with insecure work. Instead, they look at workers’ vulnerability as an economic strength. And that's why they have low wages as a deliberate design feature for their economic management.

JAYES: Long and short of it, can you rule it out? You won’t adopt it?

BURKE: It's not our policy. We're not taking it to the election. It's a trial that's going to go for two years. Everybody sensible should just be having a look at how it goes. But there's a whole lot of other measures that will make a difference to people's security at work. And make no mistake, what security at work means isn't just what it means for your day during work - it completely changes the rest of your week. It means that you've got security of a household budget, it means that you've got a situation where you can plan your life. And it means if the kids are playing sport, you know whether or not you can get to the games. These are real problems that are faced everyday by people in insecure work. So the Victorian Government is going down a trial. They don't know whether they'll lock into it or where it'll go. But for two years, they're trialling it. They are dealing with the right problem. We have a series of other policies that have been out there for two years. And doesn't it say everything about this government that they cannot lay a glove on anything we've announced, and they're now trying to pick up a state trial to say this is the reason you should be upset with the federal Labor Party. I mean, really, everything that the government is running today, the Liberal government of Australia is running today, shows that they have no plan for insecure work.

JAYES: Well, there's a few other things that they are trying. There's a story in Fairfax, the Nine Newspapers today, Anthony Albanese has been moving around the country pledging millions for communities, and that's fine. But it seems to favour marginal Labor seat, seats that you want to win. How much has been promised?

BURKE: Look, of course during a campaign you find leaders are going to spend a disproportionate amount of time in the seats that are more likely to determine who will be in government.

JAYES: But this is not just time, this is making announcements.

BURKE: Yeah, but no one has ever said you can't make election commitments. What people have said is in the first place there needs to be a national anti-corruption commission. We will implement one. There is a reason why the government having promised to do one then didn't introduce an anti-corruption commission. Because what they have been willing to do –

JAYES: Sure, sorry to interrupt. But if we talk about pork barrelling, are you making a distinction between before and after an election? It's okay to do it in the form of promises but not after when you're in government?

BURKE: The distinction I'm making, first of all, is you look at what the government's done with respect to some of the commitments they made with respect to car parks. Josh Frydenberg, $65 million worth of car parks in his own electorate. Now not going ahead, some of them wanting to set aside taxpayers’ money for car parking at railway stations that were to be closed.

JAYES: Fair enough. But my point is isn’t Labor doing exactly the same thing, just with smaller amounts of money right now?

BURKE: No, no, no, no, no. Because everything that we're announcing has been part of a consultation with state governments, with local governments.

JAYES: But they just happen to be in Labor marginal seats?

BURKE: There will be announcements across the country, not only in those seats you're referring to the ones where the leader has been visiting. And I've already explained why. I need to give one example. It's just really quick, but I've just got one. Like I catch the train from Riverwood station a lot. I live halfway between Riverwood station and Punchbowl station. One of these car parks was promised there, a Liberal marginal seat. What do we have three years later? Because parking, it's a hell of a time finding parking at Riverwood. What do we have three years later? A sign. Nothing else, just a sign. They play this game. Every election they use taxpayers’ money as if it were their own. There is a reason why they don't want an anti-corruption commission.

JAYES: Okay, give me one example. Just one. A tiny example of any money that Labor has pledged to spend in a safe Liberal seat?

BURKE: Have I walked in here with areas outside my portfolio? No I haven't walked in here with spending promises for marginal seats, or Labor seats, or Liberal seats. No, I don't have any of that at my fingertips, Laura, nor would you expect me to.

JAYES: Fair enough, Tony Burke. Thank you.

ENDS