Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to welcome the decision of the three-member full bench in dismissing a union appeal against a decision to vary the National Retail Award, a commonsense decision. We now need to see a decision taken along the same lines so that students can work before school. Matthew Spencer and Letitia Harrison from Terang are to be congratulated for their determination to take on the union movement and see these changes made.

Fair Work Australia has taken two years to get the pooper-scooper out and clean up Julia Gillard's Fair Work mess when it comes to the Retail Award. Two years is too long. It has had a detrimental impact especially on regional and rural students and their ability to get work experience and to get an income so that they can save for buying a car or for other things they want to do when they leave school. How we ever got to this I do not know, but I congratulate the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for pursuing this matter. It is two years, and it has taken too long, but they have done the right thing and they are to be commended for having taken this to the full bench of Fair Work Australia and getting this ridiculous rule overturned.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind the honourable member that he ought to refer to the Prime Minister by her title and not by her name.