Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. It follows from the answer he gave to the previous question from the member for Perth, when he reiterated something he said to the House on 31 October last year. That was:

... in the absence of explicit provision to the contrary there is a default provision in the new policy which will guarantee delivery of the award provisions in relation to penalty rates and loadings.

I also refer to clause 20 of Spotlight’s AWA, which provides:

… this … expressly excludes the operation of protected award … conditions in relation to, incidental to and/or … with respect to:

• rest breaks;
• incentive-based payments and bonuses;
• annual leave loading;
• public holidays;
• loadings for working overtime or shift work; and
• penalty rates, including for work on public holidays;

Isn’t it the case that the government’s legislation enables the Prime Minister’s so-called default provision and these conditions to be sold down the river at the stroke of a pen for the princely sum of 2c an hour?

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