EMILY MAWSON, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR CAPRICORNIA: Just prior to the 2022 election, Anthony Albanese came to my hometown of Moranbah and said that they would make Same Job, Same Pay law, and that's what they have done, and the impact that has had in Moranbah, in Rockhampton, and across our region is huge. This means that people who are doing the same job are going to get paid the same amount, which has led to people in other parts of the country getting pay increases of around $30,000 dollars. That is huge in a cost of living crisis. It's life changing for families, but only Labor will protect Same Job, Same Pay. Peter Dutton and his friends have made it very clear that they're coming out for industrial relations in this next type of government, if they are elected, we can't afford to let that happen. We can't afford to let the LNP take power here in Australia. Thanks.

CORINNE MULHOLLAND, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR THE SENATE: Thanks Corinne Mulholland, Labor Candidate for the Senate. It's great to be here in Rockhampton. We are part of a Senate road show that is headed all the way out from Brisbane all the way through Caboolture, Maryborough, Gympie, Bundaberg, Calliope and on to Rockhampton today. The choice at this federal election when it comes to the Senate in particular, could not be more stark here in south, in Central Queensland. There is a choice to re-elect an Albanese Government to deliver on behalf of working families here in Central Queensland, or Peter Dutton and the LNP who will cut jobs, cut services, and attack Medicare. That's why we've brought this road show to Central Queensland. We've got some fantastic local candidates running in Emily and Helen who’ll stand up for working families, and we need your support of this election. Chiz.

ANTHONY CHISHOLM, SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND: Thanks, Corinne, and it's fantastic to be here with you and Murray and Nita as part of the Senate road show, but also Emily and Helen, who I've spent time with over recent months and really enjoyed being on the campaign with them. We know that it's really important that people support their Labor candidates and their local electorates, and they've got two fantastic candidates here, and Emily and Helen, and we look forward to working with them. But the importance of this road trip is about the Senate. And I know, and I've sat through the Senate, and what we've had to deal with over the last three years, we've been so frustrated by the Coalition and the Greens teaming up to oppose important legislation. Same Job, Same Pay was part of that. That's something that we knew would make a difference to Central Queensland, and we know that the LNP will oppose it. We know they've also frustrated us when it comes to housing reforms as well. So we understand that we want to elect strong Labor candidates in the House of Representatives, but we also want to have that message that if you're voting Labor in the House of Reps, support a strong Labor Senate team as well, because we can ensure that that agenda that we have gets implemented and that we have a Labor Government in the House of Reps, and we have a Labor Senate that's able to deliver on that agenda as well. Thanks.

MURRAY WATT, SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND: Well, terrific to finalise our Senate road show here in Rockhampton, the beef capital of Australia. Don't listen to what those New South Welshmen tell you about Casino the beef capital is here. It's why we're going to see the meat works down at JBS this afternoon and see some of that meat processing that then gets exported to the world. It is terrific to join both Emily and Helen, who've been doing a fantastic job campaigning for Labor in Central Queensland. And there is a real mood for change here in Central Queensland, because I think people can see that they haven't been getting good representation from Michelle Landry, Colin Boyce, and Matt Canavan over the last few years, and they're looking for candidates who will actually stand up for their working rights, stand up for Medicare and stand up for services right across Central Queensland.

Now, one of the things that we're focusing on today here in Rocky is the benefits of the Labor, Same Job, Same Pay laws. These laws, in fact, really started in Central Queensland, where it became very clear that coal miners and meat workers right across Central Queensland were being treated like second class citizens simply because they were labour hire workers, rather than direct employees of big mining companies and big meat processing companies. We had a situation where, for years, workers were being employed as labour hire employees earning 10s of 1000s of dollars less than the direct employees of these companies. So, getting paid less simply because they were labour hire employees rather than direct employees, even though they were doing the same work, the same rosters, often wearing the same uniform, right alongside people who are getting paid $20 or $30,000 dollars less- more than them. Now that is changing as a result of Labor's laws. Labor's Same Job, Same Pay laws have probably benefited Central Queensland more than any other region in our state and possibly even the country, and I'm talking about the meat workers and the miners who can keep Central Queensland ticking over. What we've seen is some independent research recently that has showed that already Labor's laws, the Same Job, Same Pay laws, have delivered pay rises of, on average, $35,000 dollars per year to coal miners, and we're talking about 1500 people who've already benefited with about 4500 more to come. And it's the same story in meat processing, another industry that was very much using labour hire work as a way of cutting pay and conditions, and at some of the JBS meat works here now we're seeing workers getting paid $400 dollars more per week, or $20,000 dollars more per year, as because they're being brought up to the same standard as the direct employees of those companies. So that's obviously terrific news for workers here in Central Queensland, but it's also fantastic for Central Queensland economies, because if workers have got more money in their pocket, they're able to spend it in local businesses, creating more jobs and lifting the overall economic conditions of this region.

Now we need to remember not everyone voted for these laws. When these laws were passed in Canberra by the Albanese Labor Government, we had LNP members like Colin Boyce, like Michelle Landry, and Matt Canavan, voting against those laws. They wanted to keep labour hire workers being paid $20 to $30,000 dollars less per year, and that's what they'll do again if they win the next election. Peter Dutton and his team have already made clear that they will change the Same Job, Same Pay laws if they're if they're elected. Michaelia Cash, their Shadow Industrial Relations Spokesperson, was on the news yesterday saying they will make significant changes to Same Job, Same Pay, and what that means is that workers here in Central Queensland will get a pay cut under Peter Dutton. So, whether it's talking about public service jobs, public services here in Central Queensland, or wages. Peter Dutton has only one plan for Central Queensland, and that is to cut. And when Peter Dutton cuts, Central Queensland pays. So, Labor's not going to let that happen. We've got great candidates like Emily and Helen standing up for Central Queensland like the rest of our Senate team. We want wages to rise. We want service to improve. We don't want to see Peter Dutton's cuts. Over to Helen Madell.

HELEN MADELL, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR FLYNN:  Thanks, Murray. Helen Madell Labor Candidate for Flynn. As I've been traveling around the electorate, I have heard a lot about the same rate, same pay, which is fantastic. It's really helping with the cost of living. We know the cost of living is a huge issue. I’m hearing that from people on the ground, and cost of living is coming to a head. When we look at the LNP and what they're doing, they're saying they're going to be cutting Medicare, they're going to be cutting the PBS, they're going to be not looking after your family in regards to pay, and TAFE, and skill in the workforce. Yet the ALP, we've put forward all these proposals, and we're doing more for you. So, Labor we have actually got those things in the works. We've got things already running on the ground, and we're looking after the people of Flynn as well as Capricornia.

ALAN RYAN, CQ MINE WORKER: Afternoon, Alan Ryan, a l, a n, r y, a n. Been a miner more than 20 years. I've seen both sides of the industry, both permanent and through labour hire. And it's a rort, it's gone on for way too long. We've got major mining companies that own their own labour hire company, putting them back on their own sites. I still don't understand how that's possible myself, and I've known personally, blokes that have been seven to eight years in the industry that are still labour hire and never ended up with a permanent job. So at least now they're getting, thanks to the MEU and the Labor Party, that they're now getting paid correctly and getting paid the same as the permanent workforce. If it was to go back the other way and he would end back on their old money? That's it's disgusting. How would you? Why would you reverse that? I mean old Newman, sorry, Dutton's tried, if he was terribly and scarily to get into the role, if he was offered $10s of $20s and $1,000s dollars less to do the same role as previous Prime Ministers, where would he sit on that? If you're doing a good job. You should be paid to do a good job, same as what the permanent people are.

WATT: Good on you Alan, That's great mate thanks a lot. And Wil?

WILIAN SARDINHA, AMIEU: Afternoon, Wil Sardinha Local Organiser from the Meat Workers Union. In my experience in the meat industry, before Same Job, Same Pay, what meant being employed by a labour hire is earned up to 40% less than the work, doing exactly the same, hired directly by the company. In our industry, you do exactly the same thing, you achieve the same goals and the same productivity. Same Job, Same Pay means fair to this industry.