Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a great pleasure to get up and speak on the Fair Work Amendment (Restoring Penalty Rates) Bill 2018, because it's not often in this place, Mr Speaker, that you see an own goal being provided while it's in action. It's not a hole in one like the member for Shortland's new mini golf course but an own goal, where the opposition get up and move a motion, filled with impassioned speeches concerned about penalty rates so that they can load up onto Facebook and their social media accounts something that simply isn't occurring. Instead, what it does is provide an opportunity for the government to talk honestly about what is actually happening and shine some light onto the dishonest scare campaigns led by the opposition and particularly by the actions of the Leader of the Opposition, who has never shied away from an attempt—and the previous speaker was right—to cut people's penalty rates, to cut their benefits and, even worse, while he takes money from them as a former union leader, to advance his own interests at their expense.

I actually happen to agree with the previous speaker on the point about penalty rates being necessary, particularly in disproportionately being to the benefit of young people who are seeking work, often when they're balancing out multiple workplaces or they're also studying, or women who may want flexibility in their workplace arrangements. But, of course, many Australians want flexibility in their workplace arrangements. These are exactly the people that the opposition leader has a long track record, and the Labor Party has a long track record, of selling out. We have the example in 2006 with the agreement for 780 Big W workers in North Queensland who had their penalty rates cut from 200 per cent under the award to 150 per cent under the wonderful leadership of the opposition leader and the Australian Workers' Union. We had the other 2006 agreement covering 129 Target workers in North Queensland who had their penalty rates cut from 200 per cent under the award to 150 per cent as well. Another example in a long line, a conga line, of secret deals done between the opposition leader as a trade union leader and big business to advance his interests at the expense of workers is the 2006 agreement covering 119 Just Jeans workers, who also had their penalty rates cut from 200 per cent under the award to 150 per cent. The result for all these workers was that they had $53 less pay in their pockets for a Sunday shift. What a proud record the Australian Labor Party has in defending the interests of workers!

There are many examples. The union has a long history of selling out its members and their interests by striking deals with big business to advance the interests of the apparatchiks who operate inside their unions and their political arm, which is, of course, the Australian Labor Party. These same workers have watched their penalty rates disappear under the Australian Workers' Union and are now watching the shallow morals of the Leader of the Opposition spread like a weed throughout the Labor Party. It's a cancerous infection that is now deep at the heart of the opposition, who don't care about workers and won't stand up for them but carry with them the legacy and track record of selling them out.

With this bill, the Leader of the Opposition is essentially asking the Fair Work Commission to act with the same inconsistency he has demonstrated day in, day out in his role as a leader of the union and also as the opposition leader sitting in this parliament. It might come as a surprise, but being opportunistic and untrustworthy are not character traits that should be emulated. Australians expect their leaders to act with integrity and, I might add, some consistency, which the opposition leader can claim no capacity to do. They also don't expect politicians to demoralise independent bodies like the Fair Work Commission purely for their political gain. The Fair Work Commission, as set up by Labor—let us remind ourselves of this—is required to ensure awards are fair and relevant, taking into account the impact on business employment costs and, of course, wanting to increase the number of jobs in the economy. That includes making evidence based adjustments to our award system that may involve corrections to take-home pay. You cannot expect the Fair Work Commission to perform its role if it loses the ability to deal with the different challenges affecting different workplace arrangements. There needs to be some flexibility to grow jobs for those people who are denied them. Both people and beliefs are disposable to the Leader of the Opposition and, as we've come to expect, if his lips are moving, you can't assume it's for anything other than self-opportunism.

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