Page 2640 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 August 2019
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We have heard on the news that there have been big television stars that have these great big cases that have also ripped off their workers, to the tune of millions of dollars. It is not on. In this day and age we should not take a backward step when it comes to wage theft. We should not be helping, celebrating or even accepting that as a norm. We should be fighting; we should be standing; we should be stopping and stomping out wage theft.
As many people have heard in this chamber before, I was a small business owner. I ran a small hairdressing salon and a small courier business. If there is one thing that I learnt from those businesses it is that you should pay your employees what you would deem fit for yourself. It is your employees who make your small business. They are the backbone of what you do and it is them that an employer should be celebrating.
Again, I commend Siobhan for her bravery, for standing up, for taking this case forward and for getting her union involved to fight for her rights. I thank Siobhan for being very brave and continuing the fight for young workers here in Canberra.
Austin Lynch—tribute
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Health, Minister for Urban Renewal) (4.05): I rise to pay tribute to Austin James Lynch, who passed away on 2 July. Austin was a Narrabundah community activist, historian and loved community member.
Austin was passionate about Canberra’s inner south. He loved its history and its community. A keen amateur historian, Austin shared and celebrated the inner south’s history. His passion for the history of Narrabundah and Canberra’s inner south is chronicled on the Old Narrabundah Community Council website, particularly through carefully curated historical images he maintained on the site. I would encourage everyone to visit the site to see how the page captures the history of the local area and community.
Over the years, Austin campaigned to preserve what makes Narrabundah a distinctive suburb and community. He championed the area’s distinctive duplexes, the Capital golf course, and local Manuka Oval as a boutique sporting ground. He served on the board of Old Narrabundah Community Council for many years, and I am sure the loss of his experience and passion will be greatly felt by them.
Austin was a driving force behind the annual Narrabundah Festival. I am sure all members for Kurrajong will agree with me in saying that the festival is a highlight of our year in the community. They probably share my own experience of Austin strongly encouraging our participation in this much-loved event. It is a brilliant way to connect with the community and to celebrate Narrabundah and its diverse community.
Strong communities do not just happen; they need people like Austin to do the hard yards. Marea Fatseas, the Chair of the Inner South Canberra Community Council,
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