Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Listen, when you start to squeal, I know it is hurting. You bought yourself into this thing and you are not travelling too well. You have not thought about it and, as I said, if you had rung up Bob Hawke—one of your better leaders—he would have said, ‘Fellas, we tried Fridays; it did not work for us.’ You have this funny idea. I just cannot imagine people ceasing work here at five o’clock on a Thursday and then all coming back on Friday morning. You could not make that work at a manufacturing plant or at places like that if people knew there was voluntary attendance.

I am saying to you: get some practical answers or if you want a five-day week we will accommodate it provided each day is a working day and it is nine to nine. I would like to see a simple pledge that everybody signs—and a few of us could even swear on the Bible. In the morning in this place, the ministry could simply sign a pledge—and I would suggest they put a month’s wages on it—that they will always be here on Fridays. Do something positive.

It is obvious that the government is using this as a device. You say you want to save some money: you could achieve those hours within the existing framework and you would save money, be it a million, be it $500,000. The member for Maribyrnong probably earnt more money than that in a year. And he married wisely! The fact of life is that this argument is about efficiency and the efficient management of this parliament. You could achieve all those outcomes in a four-day sitting week. But if you want five days, add a 12-hour shift—no more, no less.

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