Labor front-bencher Tony Burke in Cessnock to back five-time Olympic shooter, Dan Repacholi as he seeks to succeed Joel Fitzgibbon in Hunter

The Labor veteran spent a year in state parliament before winning the Bankstown-area seat of Watson in 2004 and is gearing up for his seventh federal contest.

With Labor's candidate for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, Mr Burke addressed about 100 coalmine and power station union delegates at the CFMEU's Aberdare offices.

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His visit coincided with the launch of a mineworkers' union advertising campaign titled Same Work Same Pay: coal communities need permanent jobs, with one ad featuring Mr Repacholi.

A Senate job security inquiry that came to Newcastle this week has seen employer witnesses downplay any increase in casual employment but Mr Burke said it was obvious casual labour had taken hold across many industries and jobs previously characterised by permanent full-time work.

He said "traditional" form of casual employment - with a 25 per cent loading to cover leave and other entitlements - had been superseded by "the labour hire rort" that had entrenched itself in the coal industry, with casuals doing the same work on the same rosters as permanents but being paid 40 per cent less.

He said Labor's Fair Work Amendment (Same Job Same Pay) Bill was introduced on November 22 as a private members' bill by Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Paterson MP Meryl Swanson.

"Private members' bills can't become law from Opposition - we need to win government to do that - but it shows our commitment," Mr Burke said, adding the government had sided with employers in March when it secured One Nation's vote to insert a new definition of "casual employee" in the Fair Work Act.

"If there's a tax loophole the government legislates to close it," Mr Burke said.

"The same with immigration law. But here's an obvious employment rort, and the government legislates to lock it into position. It's wrong."

Mr Repacholi was chosen by the Labor executive to replace sitting Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon, who entered parliament in 1996.

The 39-year-old pistol shooter is a five-time Olympian who left school at 15 for a fitting and turning apprenticeship.

He did a stint at Mount Thorley Warkworth mine before becoming branch manager at an equipment repairer - a job he says he's resigned from to concentrate "110 per cent" on the election.

He said campaigning had been "a steep learning curve" and "a challenge" but he enjoyed meeting people and engaging with them.

One Nation polled strongly in Hunter at the 2019 poll but shocked supporters when Malcolm Roberts voted with the government on the casuals question, and Stuart Bonds was dumped as a candidate and replaced by Singleton businessman Dale McNamara.

Labor says casual employment laws need overhauling but the Australian Industry Group says Labor's private members' bill is "unwarranted, unfair and unworkable".

Mr Burke said he knew there was "some opposition" in the business community to Labor's policy.

"Labor won't be deterred," Mr Burke said.

"We are standing up for workers in the Hunter and across Australia with this policy and we will deliver on it if we win the election.

"The Morrison government, on the other hand, thinks the whole thing is a 'made up issue'."

District president of the CFMEU's mining and energy division, Tony Maher, said the union campaign was designed to start "a conversation with the community" about the loss of workers' entitlements and conditions that had steadily taken place in recent years.

He said the union had put a lot of money into court cases challenging the employment model that had seen thousands of permanent Hunter Valley coal mining jobs replaced with casual labour hire.

"The Federal Court found that 'casual labour' hire mining jobs were not really casual at all due to the regular shifts, full-time hours and long advance rosters," Mr Maher said.

"But under pressure from employers, the Morrison Government and One Nation teamed up to overturn our big legal wins, voting up retrospective legislation in March this year that says you are a casual if your employer calls you one.

"This has condemned many coal miners to remain in casual employment and killed off our class action against Workpac that would have delivered millions in compensation to casual labour hire coal miners.

"We have exhausted our legal avenues for challenging this toxic business model. Changing the government is now the only way to restore permanent jobs."

"We need 'same job same pay' laws to prevent labour hire being used to drive down wages; and a fair definition of casual in the Fair Work Act based on the reality of the work arrangement, not just the words in your contract."

Mr Maher said radio ads had started this week, to be followed by billboards and television ads in the new year.

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