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

My question is also to the Prime Minister. I refer to Senate estimates hearings last night where the spotlight was on AWAs and the Office of the Employment Advocate. Isn’t it the case that, of the sample 6,263 AWAs lodged with the Office of the Employment Advocate since the commencement of the government’s industrial relations legislation, 100 per cent—all of them—excluded at least one protected award condition, 64 per cent removed leave loadings, 63 per cent removed penalty rates, 52 per cent removed shift work loadings and 16 per cent excluded all award conditions? Isn’t this just what the government’s legislation causes and wants—a 2c an hour race to the bottom?

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

No, and what the member for Perth did not acknowledge is that the same information that was provided in the Senate last night indicated that 78 per cent of the sample agreements provided for a wage increase during the life of the agreement and, in 84 per cent of the agreements sampled, the wages were greater than the comparable standard rate, which is the hourly rate of the award.

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

That’s what Spotlight did to Mrs Harris.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Perth is warned!