Richard Boyd Barrett accuses government of harming arts workers
Richard Boyd Barrett spoke against a section of legislation he says arms the government to harass people and force them into low-paid work. He argued the measure will disproportionately harm those hardest hit by the pandemic and called for the section to be deleted.
Allegation of government harassment
He accused the government and the minister of arming the state to harass people and push them into work that will often be low-paid. He warned the section would target groups already hardest hit by the pandemic.
Groups affected
He identified taxi drivers, arts workers, music and live entertainment personnel as being especially hard hit. He said these groups were flagged by members in the house as suffering most from the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Impact on live entertainment and music
He warned live entertainment workers would be driven out of the sector if they were not supported and said many would be forced to leave because they could not survive. He described the sector as "already on its knees" and called the government's approach "pretty shameful."
Problems with income reckoning and cuts
He said some self-employed musicians have already been cut because reckonable income calculations ignored amounts above 200, leaving thousands affected. He pointed to a group of four thousand musicians who were "absolutely up in arms" and said the system was kicking people when they were down.
Accusations of scapegoating and prejudice
He accused the minister of whipping up "bogey men and scapegoats" and alleged there was deep prejudice against those who lost work due to public health guidelines. He emphasised that the vast majority had lost jobs because of the guidelines and wanted to return to the sectors they previously worked in.
Call to delete the section
He characterised the measure as unfair and unjust and said that was why he was seeking to delete the section from the legislation.
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yeah this is the section which arms the government up to harass people and into whatever the government thinks they should be forced into working but it'll be low-paid work in the most cases and it'll be directed against the people who've been hardest hit by the pandemic a group that's a number of groups that were identified by some of us in this house a number of groups that were identified by some of us in this house a number of weeks ago as really getting hammered by you guys the taxi drivers the arts workers the music the live entertainment and you know you say minister you're very concerned about the that sector the main fear of the live entertainment people and they've said it explicitly in the covert committee is that people will be driven out of the sector if they are not supported they will be forced to leave the sector because it just they will not be able to survive they will not be able to survive right so that is and what you're doing here is making that more likely right you're hammering a sector that is already on its knees and that is really pretty shameful and you haven't responded to the offers are you pleased for help from this sector instead you're whipping up you know bogey men and scapegoats and some notion that there's loads of people out there scamming and that you've got the state has to arm itself up against these people and it's just really it is finna gale reversing to type i'm sorry to you know put it like that but you know it's just it's there's deep prejudice at work here when the vast vast majority of these people are people who lost their job because of public health guidelines and they want to go back to work in the sectors that they worked in previously but you want to harass them and it's happening already and i just minister i mean the arts people were suffering a lot of this stuff before they were being pushed on to this and that course uh they were uh uh being hounded uh by uh intro and all the rest of it and now we're ready to step that stuff up again to this uh this uh difficult period i mean there's a group of four thousand musicians now absolutely up in arms some of them are have already been cut uh and you know you say they haven't been cut they have been cut because the self-employed because of the way you've calculated the reckonable income have even though they were earning much more than 200 you're not reckoning that income and so uh they're deemed to have been earning less trader artists musicians uh and so on and taxi drivers and others right they've been cut even though they were earning more so it's kicking people when they're down it's not fair it's unjust and that's why we're seeking to delete this section you
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