Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Last Thursday, the Fair Work Commission made a decision to cut the take-home pay of nearly 700,000 Australians. What is the Prime Minister going to do to stop this pay cut?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The decision last Thursday could not have come as a surprise to the Leader of the Opposition, because he was single-handedly responsible for the Fair Work Commission considering the whole issue of penalty rates. It was his decision to ask Fair Work to deal with it, and he made that decision. He made that decision, and he appointed the commissioners. So it was entirely the work of the Leader of the Opposition.

We know, of course, that when he was asked by Neil Mitchell in April last year whether he would accept and support the decision of the independent umpire, he said: 'I will. I'll accept it.' Mitchell said:

Even if they reduce Sunday Penalty rates?

Mr Shorten said:

Well, I said I'd accept the independent tribunal and that makes a big difference between us … and the Liberals.

What we see here is an issue that underlines the lack of integrity, the lack of consistency and the pure hypocrisy of the Leader of the Opposition.

What about this, from 2012? It is a wonderful video. It is Meet the Press:

I think the best way—

said the Leader of the Opposition—

to protect Fair Work Australia is to protect its independence. It's a statutory body, it's doing its investigations and the argument which says that the Government needs to intervene would undermine its independence. It's an independent body.

Well, that is a bold statement—hard to connect to the remarks we just heard. It gets even—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. Just before I call the Leader of the Opposition: members on both sides will cease interjecting. The Leader of the House, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and the Minister for the Environment and Energy—again, regrettably. The level of interjections is too high on both sides. We have only been away a week. Everyone has very good memories. I am not going to keep repeating what I said in the last sitting week.

The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance—the Prime Minister should stop worrying about me. Will he stop a pay cut to 700,000 ordinary Australians?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not only was the Leader of the Opposition responsible for Fair Work conducting this inquiry—

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs is warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but in 2013, together with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Chris Bowen, the Leader of the Opposition, then the minister for education and workplace relations reform, promised that a Rudd Labor government would provide funding of $400,000 over two years to COSBOA—that is, the small-business organisation—to:

… participate in the 4 year review of Modern Awards due to start next year.

This ensures that small business has appropriate representation in those proceedings.

What did they imagine the small-business organisation would be saying? Did they think COSBOA would be saying, 'Those penalty rates are too low; they've got to go up'? Did they think they would say they should stay the same? Of course not.

He started the review. He appointed the commissioners. He defended its independence. And then he was going to pay the small-business lobby to argue for the reduction of Sunday penalty rates. Well, he would know a lot about that from one EBA to another. He did it to the members of the AWU again and again.