E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: Workers worse off under One Nation, Pauline Hanson on paid parental leave, energy regulator.
GED KEARNEY, ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, a study has come out from the Health Services Union to show that if Pauline Hanson had her way with all her reforms and the way she's voted against good industrial relations reforms - that aged care workers, healthcare workers, allied health care workers would be $30,000 a year worse off.
Now this is because she didn't support rises in rates, she doesn't support same jobs same pay, she didn't support multi-employer bargaining - she certainly did not support minimum wage rises for these workers.
And already they don't earn a great deal of money, so $30,000 is a lot. So, I think what we need to say to people out there, is that when Pauline Hanson says she's on the side of workers, she simply is not, and you would be worse off with Pauline Hanson.
JOURNALIST: So, what is your message to (indistinct).
GED KEARNEY, ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, I think a lot of people are feeling under pressure right now, because cost of living is a concern to many people, restricting their budgets they're putting things aside. And when that is recognised in such a blunt and I guess almost carefree way by someone like Pauline Hanson people feel like they're being heard. The problem is that when you scrutinize policies of One Nation there are no answers to those problems.
It's one thing to express those problems and say you understand them, it's a totally other thing to come up with policies that actually change the situation. Whereas the Labor Party, a good Labor government, we're doing everything we can to relieve cost of living pressures for families. We support minimum wage rises, we definitely support penalty rates, we definitely support multi-employer bargaining, we support criminalising wage theft - something else Pauline Hanson doesn't support.
We have done everything we can to keep healthcare costs down, education costs down, childcare costs - we support paid parental leave in its fullest form. So, these are things that the Labor government is doing and that is a responsible government that really understands the pressures. Not only understands them but has good policies that can deal with them.
JOURNALIST: Pauline Hanson says that businesses shouldn't have to pay paid parental leave, what do you make of that?
GED KEARNEY, ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, they don't. Some do, but if they can't afford to pay it, that's why the government has introduced a tax funded payment of 26 weeks paid parental leave. Women have told me that this has changed their lives. I'm old now, when I had my babies, there was no paid parental leave. I got 12 months off no pay and that was the best my employer could do. Now, some employers do pay through enterprise bargaining they pay paid parental leave - but there is always that safety net of the governments scheme for everyone.
JOURNALIST: Could you say it's a bit out of touch then from her perspective of (indistinct) what's she actually arguing here?
GED KEARNEY, ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, good question. Look, it's hard to say, I just think maybe she just hasn't done her homework. And that's a perfect example of what I said at the beginning - that it's one thing to express anger, frustration, expressing or feeding back people's needs, it's another to actually understand the policies, and that's another prime example of how maybe she's just a bit out of touch with what does exist right now.
JOURNALIST: (Indistinct), Chris Bowen has written to the energy regulator (indistinct).
GED KEARNEY, ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, we are doing everything in our power to bring prices down and keep them affordable for every single Australian and crikey, I would be here all day if I were to list all the amazing things Chris Bown has actually done in this space. The transition to renewables energy - because we know that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy. Making sure that what he's doing right now calling in the regulator, to say listen we're doing all the hard work at the top end, you have to do all the hard work to make sure people get all those benefits of those fabulous policies.