Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I think my colleagues have been a little bit harsh on the government, about it being seen as chaotic! Sure, there is chaos; sure, there is division and dysfunction. It is the parliamentary equivalent of Game of Thrones. But, when it comes to cutting penalty rates for low-paid workers, this government shows a unity of purpose.

When the member for Reid was asked about cutting penalty rates, he said:

… I'm not averse to that at all …

When the member for Herbert was asked about this, he asked why someone who works on Sunday is worth twice as much as someone who does exactly the same job Monday to Friday. The member for Leichhardt simply said:

From a personal view, I certainly support change in weekend penalty rates …

The novice Liberal candidate for Brisbane, Trevor Evans, when asked whether he supported the Productivity Commission's recommendations to cut Sunday penalty rates, said, 'Broadly speaking, we do agree.'

But the Liberal candidate who takes the cake, who wins the prize, is the Liberal candidate for Dunkley, the blow-in from Mildura, who basically said he supports any cut to penalty rates and there should be no penalty rates for any worker unless they work more than five days a week. That candidate wants to cut penalty rates for any worker in any industry. He wants to put his hand in the pockets of low-paid workers and steal their income because he does not believe in penalty rates—and neither does this government.

See this speech in context