Sick pay guarantee
Ms COUZENS (Geelong) (14:21): I was pleased to join the Minister for Workplace Safety in Geelong at the Eastern Hub Geelong community centre where we met with disability workers who are eligible for the first phase of the sick pay guarantee. Casual and contract workers in Geelong are signing up to the Andrews government’s sick pay guarantee to get the safety net they need for when they become sick and miss work or need to care for a loved one. There are approximately 24 000 casual workers in the greater Geelong area, nearly a quarter of the region’s total workforce. Health care and social services are the largest employers in the greater Geelong area, followed by retail, accommodation and food services, all of which are eligible industries under phase 1 of the sick pay guarantee.
We need every worker for the recovery of our economy. The best way to do that is through secure work, which is exactly what we are doing. This scheme will protect more workers and give them the support they need so they do not have to make the choice between a day’s pay and looking after their health. Whilst talking to those workers, they agreed that the last thing they want to do when they are sick is try to fill in forms, so they have already registered, giving them that peace of mind. This scheme will help to keep our community and local businesses safe and healthy, because we all know how important that is.