Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

About 700,000 workers will be hit with another pay cut on 1 July. That's right: retail workers and hospitality workers, people who are earning some of the smallest amounts of money income in our country, will be whacked again with another cut to penalty rates.

Now, I note that the Prime Minister this morning was out at a cafe having coffee. Did he bother to ask the workers whether they would be affected by this penalty rate cut? Did he bother to ask these workers whether they would like his $10 a week in their pocket or their penalty rates back? I'm sure pretty sure that most of these workers would have said that they'd have their penalty rates back any day of the week.

These aren't the only workers who are facing a penalty rate cut. We've now got hairdressers being lined up. We've now got other areas: clubs and services. The Fair Work Commission are looking at whether they are going to cut those industries when it comes to penalty rates.

There is something that this parliament can do about these penalty rate cuts today. The members of the government and this mean Prime Minister can join with Labor and support the private member's bill that the Leader of the Opposition spoke to today. Do something right to support the people on the lowest of incomes. Support people who rely on penalty rates, support Labor's bill and restore the cuts that have been made. If you really want to help working people, listen to the opposition and join with us on reversing this cut to penalty rates.

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