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

I second the amendment. We do not need a long debate but we should have a debate on penalty rates. The other place has debated and resolved the position insofar as this issue is concerned. What they have determined, by way of moving an amendment to the government bill, is that they want to see the penalty rates decision stopped so that the cuts that would take place in future for 700,000 retail and hospitality workers would actually be stopped as a result. Why would that not be a worthy debate for this place now? Why would we not debate an issue given that we have wage growth at the lowest level in a generation? We have people struggling to make ends meet in this country. We have three Sundays before Christmas, and these workers will be getting cuts compared to what they would have got from 1 July this year.

For that reason, it is reasonable for members of this place to do what the Senate did today. The Senate determined this morning that the penalty rates decision should be ceased. I think it's incumbent upon members here who represent retail workers and hospitality workers in their electorates to have this debate. The Manager of Opposition Business has made very clear that this does not have to be a long debate. Nonetheless, we should have a debate because this is an important issue. We say to government members and the crossbench: allow this debate to occur. Voting for this amendment moved by the Manager of Opposition Business will mean we can have that debate. We can have a quick debate and then we can decide on the merits of the substantive motion that's before the House. For that reason, I second this amendment and I call upon members of this place to support us.

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