Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister for her turn of phrase, because she is right: Work Choices is vindictive nonsense, and it is just a pity that that is what the Liberal Party stands for. But in coming to this position in support of Work Choices and all of its rip-offs, we have got the advice from the member for O’Connor. He was clearly interjecting, when the Minister for Housing was on her feet, suggesting that it is fine for women workers to be required to work on weekends, and they ought to be grateful for the job, and questions of minimum wages really should not come into it. And he is on the public record as verifying this position, not only in the parliament in interjections but in the media today. I quote from a very illuminating statement from the member for O’Connor as he was walking into Parliament House today. He said:

I made my maiden speech in 1981—

That is quite a long time ago—

on industrial relations and questioned the stupidity in our modern society of penalty rates within the 38-hour parameters, I think it was 40 then, for weekends and evenings—

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