Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to comments on 16 March by the President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, Justice Geoffrey Giudice, that the creation of the Fair Pay Commission would ‘be accompanied by a slowdown in the rate of growth of minimum wages; that is what the Fair Pay Commission is for’. Prime Minister, isn’t it the case that, if the government’s submissions on the national wage case over its period in office had been accepted nearly two million Australian employees dependent upon the minimum wage would today be $50 a week or $2,600 a year worse off? Prime Minister, isn’t Justice Giudice right that all Australian employees have to look forward to from today is a reduction in the minimum wage in real terms?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In answering that question, let me turn first of all to the remarks made by the President of the Industrial Relations Commission. I did see those remarks. Let me say that I do not share his view and we will just—

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Macklin interjecting

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. Let me say that I do not share his view and we shall see.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Macklin interjecting

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think the public will pay on performance, just as they have over the last 10 years when we have seen real wages go up by 16.8 per cent. So I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her interjection. The public is interested in results, and the side of politics that has the runs on the board when it comes to real wages is the Liberal and National parties. The real wage suppressors were the Australian Labor Party; the real wage enlargers and enhancers have been the coalition parties.