Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Ministers statements: sick pay guarantee

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty, Minister for Employment, Minister for Public Transport) (14:41): It is a new dawn for insecure workers in Victoria. There are 1 million casual workers as I speak right now in our state. That is, 1 million in our state –

John Pesutto interjected.

Ben CARROLL: That is not including him, by the way.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I will not accept this level of interjection. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he is not immune to being removed from the chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, as much as it pains me to interrupt the third audition of the day, I would ask you to bring the minister back to the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was not answering a question. The minister is doing a ministers statement.

Ben CARROLL: The Andrews Labor government’s nation-leading sick pay guarantee has been expanded to workers. We just heard the word ‘audition’, but we are expanding it to people in the arts community, which I know the Minister for Creative Industries is very passionate about, as is the member for Footscray and as is the member for Hastings. Can I also say we are extending it to factory workers, which I know the member for Dandenong is passionate about in her electorate, and to hairdressers, which I know the member for Sunbury is very passionate about in his electorate.

It is an Australian-first initiative – 1.8 million hours of sick and carers pay have been paid – and we are extending it under the Andrews Labor government, this nation-leading reform. It does not only help workers, it also keeps businesses safe and makes them more productive, because we know on this side of the chamber we are for workers. Look, the Leader of the Opposition does not like to talk about insecure work, he likes to live it.