Media Releases
Thursday, 13th May 2021
with Tony Burke MP
An Albanese Labor Government will protect Australian workers from exploitation and rip-offs by criminalising wage theft.
Wage theft costs workers an estimated $1.35 billion every year.
It happens across industries – from construction to health care, from retail to accommodation – and disproportionately affects vulnerable workers like women, young people and migrants.
Across Australia a worker who steals from the till is committing a crime - but in most states and territories an employer who steals their workers’ wages is not. This is completely unfair.
For some employers, wage theft has become part of their business model. It’s well past time we end this epidemic.
A Labor Government will consult with states and territories, unions and employers to develop laws that criminalise wage theft nationwide.
Labor’s laws will not water down any wage theft laws already passed by the states.
The Labor governments in Victoria and Queensland moved to criminalise wage theft last year because Scott Morrison has refused to act. But Australia needs a national wage theft system to end the rip-offs.
The Liberals and Nationals have been in government for eight long years. There have been dozens of high profile wage theft scandals under their watch with tens of thousands of workers ripped off.
Mr Morrison had to be dragged kicking and screaming into even acknowledging there was a problem. Two years ago he finally announced he’d do something about it - but as usual he hasn’t delivered.
Labor voted in the Senate in March to pass national wage theft laws.
With Labor and the Senate crossbench on board, the Government had the numbers to easily pass the wage theft laws through Parliament. Instead it threw a tantrum and tore up its own laws because it couldn’t also get support for its plans to cut workers’ pay and conditions.
Mr Morrison decided to send a clear signal to wage thieves: keep it up.
It’s clear now the only way Australia will get national wage theft laws to protect workers is by electing an Albanese Labor Government.
Electorate Office
334a Marrickville Rd
Marrickville NSW 2204
Phone: 02 9564 3588
Parliament House Office
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Phone: 02 6277 7700
Electorate Office
334a Marrickville Rd
Marrickville NSW 2204
Phone: 02 9564 3588
Parliament House Office
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Phone: 02 6277 7700
Phone: (02) 9564 3588
Fax: (02) 9564 1734
Email: A.Albanese.MP@aph.gov.au
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices stand and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the sorrow of the Stolen Generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also recognise the resilience, strength and pride of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Authorised by Anthony Albanese. 334a Marrickville Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204.