This is an all Australian invention conceptualised, designed and manufactured in Campbellfield in my electorate. Gary Marshall invented this revolutionary cigarette butt disposal unit. While no-one here encourages smoking, the reality is that many people do smoke and cigarette butts are the No. 1 litter item in Australia and the No. 1 litter item in the world, so it is important to devise more effective means of disposing of this nasty problem, particularly since the current disposal methods are seriously inadequate and potentially devastating for our environment.
The design of smokers poles addresses these problems. The units are smoke and odour free and are permanently installed where smokers tend congregate. The design is very simple and very clever. It is inspired by Gary’s own understanding of a smoker’s mentality and behaviour, because he is a smoker himself. The unit is designed to prevent interference. It is charged with lemon scented water to extinguish embers, and the water is replenished when the unit is emptied and cleaned with a portable vacuum system. The units are even designed to be cost neutral, with an advertising panel incorporated in the structure.
Smokers poles have already been installed in many public places across Victoria. There are two outside the building where my office is located in Broadmeadows and many successful trials have been undertaken with Parks Victoria, Bunnings and Westfield shopping centres. There are several hospitals, shopping centres and municipalities ready to commence installation. With around 130,000 cigarette butts ending up in the Yarra River each day and 350,000 ending up in Port Phillip Bay, I fully support this environmentally conscious initiative and I encourage the federal government to follow the lead of the Victorian Labor government and to support the widespread installation of these units across Australia.
The other reason that I wanted to speak this evening about Gary Marshall and what he is doing is that Gary Marshall is a fair dinkum equal opportunity employer. Gary currently employs around 35 people in his Campbellfield factory and, when recruiting, he specifically targets those unemployed people who are at the most risk of not finding a job. These include the long-term unemployed, mature unemployed, Indigenous Australians, migrants, the disabled and even drug dependent youths. It does not matter to Gary; he sees no barriers to employment. Provided that workers can undertake the job in a safe and efficient manner, he is prepared to give them a go. In fact, Gary treats his employees like a family and he has even driven workers to and from work when necessary. So it is not surprising that worker satisfaction is high, staff turnover is low and both Gary and his employees respect and value each other greatly.
I would like to quote something that Gary said to me. He said:
The dollars are always less important than respect with employees, but I’ve always employed people above the award rate. I feel guilty paying them the award rate.
At a time when the government and other conservative thinkers toy with the idea of abolishing minimum award wage provisions because they believe that this will actually create more jobs—although there is no evidence of that—it is important to note what this socially responsible employer is saying. According to Gary and many other people, the award rates are low, and he personally feels guilty paying those rates. I am glad the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations is in the House this evening, as I think it is important for the government to take notice and to listen to employers like Gary Marshall, whose approach is based on the knowledge that, if you treat your workers with decency and respect and if you reward their labour and efforts with dignity and fairness, then everyone is happy. Surely this is in the interests of Australia’s future productivity and prosperity.
In closing, I would like to commend Gary Marshall for his brilliant initiative in developing smokers poles and I would also like to congratulate him for being such a socially responsible employer. He is an exemplary Australian who leads the way, and I wish Gary Marshall every success in taking SPs across Australia and the world. I understand that smokers poles are going to be installed in Beijing in time for the Olympic Games there, and according to Gary many other countries, including Canada, have taken a great interest in this very small Aussie invention from my electorate.
